A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing
by jcarreau
Summary: What happens in-between the events of the Touhou games? Randomness, that's what.
1. Part 1

[Author's Foreword: This is a series of short stories based off the Touhou PC games. This series is focused on humor. Do be aware that there is some personal fanon of mine in this. Otherwise, if you know anything about Touhou, this just might make you laugh.

And also, parts 1, 2, and 3 take place after Subterranean Animisim, but before Undefined Fantastic Object. With that, let's get started.]

Within the Pacific Ocean, there is a chain of islands. This chain of islands is known as Nippon. Consisting of roughly 3000 or so islands, Nippon has become a united country. However, there is one region of Nippon that has become separated from the outside world.

The region is named Gensokyo. Ever since 1884, a boundary has separated Gensokyo from the rest of the world. Actually, not separate, but rather, establish Gensokyo as its own world; it exists in a separate plane of reality. Few born within Gensokyo have ever left, and few born outside the Boundary have gained access. It is a time capsule of a land, a land mostly untainted by any technological advances made since 1884. Many creatures that can't be found outside Gensokyo thrive within the Boundary: ghosts, youkai, oni, tengu, fairies, kappa, the works. Even the "ordinary" humans in Gensokyo are capable of learning powerful magics.

But enough about that, and back to the Boundary. The Boundary is maintained at a Shinto shrine in the eastern region of Gensokyo. This place is the Hakurei shrine. The Hakurei shrine is what maintains the Boundary that keeps Gensokyo the isolated world that it is. The Shrine is the only place that exists both outside the Boundary, and inside the Boundary, functioning as the one (and supposedly only, but don't tell the Lunarians that) gateway between the world of Earth and the world of Gensokyo. The Shrine has existed for at least thirteen generations, and has been destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed again, and rebuilt again many times. The Hakurei family of shrine maidens is the guardian of the Shrine, and to a greater extent, the Boundary. As of now, only one Hakurei is guarding it; Reimu Hakurei. She appears to be in her early teen years, with a thin, somewhat petite frame, and with a skin tone that is light, maybe very slightly tanned. Her eyes and hair were both dark brown, with her hair held by a red ribbon. She wore a unique shrine maiden uniform, unique as in it resembled a dress, with the dress portion red, and the sleeves white. The sleeves were detached, leaving her shoulders (and her armpits) exposed. It is a shrine maiden uniform only in the fact that it is red and white. (It is rumored that a long, _long_ time ago, Reimu did wear a real shrine maiden uniform. Some people don't believe it, others say she got tired of it and wears her unique uniform today just because she can.) Many incidents in Gensokyo have been resolved by Reimu in one way or another. Some believe she is a true heroine of the people. Others claim she only acts out of selfish desire. Some say she's very friendly. Others say she is mean-spirited. What is Reimu really like? Let's find out.

In the morning of a typical summer day in Gensokyo, Reimu was doing what any shrine maiden would do; sweep the walkway of the shrine. She was sweeping away dirt that had accumulated on the shrine path, when suddenly a blur shot past through the sky. She looked up, and saw the blur shoot by again. The blur came crashing down on the ground near here. It turns out the "blur" was none other than Marisa Kirisame, the witch of the Forest of Magic, who had crash landed near Reimu. Marisa, who appeared to have been unperturbed by her crash, got up, smiled at Reimu, and greeted, "Hiya Reimu ze!"

"Broomstick still faulty, Marisa?" Reimu asked. The witch nodded. Marisa was in her typical witch garb: a black button-up dress over a short-sleeved white shirt with poofy shoulders, as well as a white petticoat over her dress. She was wearing her black pointy hat with purple ribbon attached to it. She had one braid of blonde hair going over the right side of her face, and the rest of her hair coming down to the middle of her back. Her broomstick made of bamboo was in hand, although broken and hastily repaired in places.

"I've been meaning to make me another broom, but I just haven't found the necessary materials yet," she said, her light brown eyes focused on Reimu.

At that instant, a thought ran through Reimu's mind. Her eyes narrowed, and a scowl formed across her face, "you mean you haven't stolen the parts yet, don't you?"

Marisa closed her eyes and smiled, "Well, it's complicated, ze."

Reimu continued, "So, who do you plan on 'borrowing' from next: Alice? Patchouli? Rinnosuke?" She then gasped, "Wait, you've come to plunder me, haven't youǃ?"

"Uh, no, I haven't!" Marisa responded. "I know better than to pick a fight with you! Especially when you've got an oni for a houseguest!"

Almost as of on cue, a girl came stumbling out of the shrine. It was a rather short girl, who didn't look like she was past the age of eight. There were two horns coming out of her head, one of which was decorated with a blue ribbon. Her hair was orange, and was in a ponytail held by a red ribbon. She wore a white sleeveless blouse, with a long purple skirt attached to it. There were three chains on her; two attached to manacles on her wrists, and one attached at the end of her ponytail. Most important of all was the purple gourd in her hand, the legendary oni gourd that never ran out of sake. Her eyes were closed, she could barely maintain her balance, and she was smiling for no particular reason. She shouted, "What's up you guys!"

Reimu glanced back and said, "Good morning, Suika! Marisa dropped by not too long ago."

Marisa interjected, "Are you drunk already?"

Suika responded, "Uh, lemme check." She strained to open her brown eyes. When she did, she was unable to focus on any one object. She shouted, "Whoa! My eyes can't see _anything!_" She then said in a quieter tone, "Yep. I'm drunk."

Reimu told the oni, "You shouldn't drink so much. It's going to wreck your insides."

Suika, upon hearing this, stopped smiling. She looked quizzically in the direction of Reimu's voice. Then she let out a loud, boisterous laugh. She began boasting, "Me, wreck _my_ insidesǃ? Need I remind you that the intestinal fortitude of an oni is _far_ beyond that of mere humansǃ? Ha! I've been drinking for lots of years now, with no ill effects! Such is the pride of the oni!" Then she pointed her index finger toward the sky and began speaking melodramatically, "Ours is the horn that will pierce the heavens themselves!"

"What?" Marisa asked.

Reimu answered, "It's best just to ignore her when she's wasted like this. Anyways, what were we talking about?"

Marisa responded, "I need a new broom, I don't have enough money to buy a new one, and I want to make a new one, but I'll need some things first. I came here to ask you to see if you could lend me maybe a bamboo pole or some bristles for the new broom. I promise I'm not here to steal anything, ze."

Reimu said, "Ah yes, your broom. I would be remiss in my duties as shrine maiden to turn down your offer for help. Let's see if I have anything."

Reimu and Marisa began walking towards the shrine, but before they could enter, a voice called out. It was the voice of a woman saying, "Well well, if it isn't the three little ladies!"

The shrine maiden and the witch turned around to see who it was. Normally, Reimu does not feel bitterness towards people. True, she has exterminated countless youkai in the past, and has gotten into intense duels with many people, including Marisa, Suika, and many other people she would call her friends, but there were very, very few people in Gensokyo that she didn't like. The woman who spoke just now was someone that Reimu, well, she didn't outright hate her, but she does feel a tinge of disgruntlement toward the subject at hand; Yukari Yakumo. Reimu's eyes narrowed, she made a pout on her face and said, "Oh, it's _you. _What do you want?"

Yukari's response was, "Oh, come now, is that any way to greet me?" She was wearing her deep purple dress, her pink poofy hat, her long white gloves, and was carrying her pink parasol. Her eyes were the same shade of purple as her dress, her blonde hair was kind of short, only reaching to the top of her shoulders, but she had two strands of hair that ran longer, which were tied together by red ribbons, and (author's aside: I swear to you, the following description is not for fanservice) her breasts her rather large in contrast to the other girls at the shrine.

Reimu asked Yukari, "What are you even doing here? Aren't you normally asleep at this time of day?"

Yukari said, "Well, I was asleep, but I woke up early, and I couldn't fall back asleep, so to ease my boredom, I came here." She began to smile, "Now then, do you feel up for an adventure?"

Marisa answered, "Uh, no ze. Unless if you can help me find a new broomstick."

Yukari snapped, "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to Reimu!"

Reimu groaned, "No, and I'm really not in the mood to do anything with you today."

Yukari feigned shock and replied, "My, why this grouchy attitude? I think someone needs to unwind!"

Reimu exclaimed, "Why meǃ? Why is it always meǃ? Can't you kill time with someone elseǃ? Suika isn't busy; take her instead!"

Yukari answered, "Why you, Reimu? Simple! Because you, my dear," she suddenly gapped near Reimu, held her by the shoulders, and whispered into her ear, "are _special._" Yukari pulled Reimu into the gap and disappeared.

"Bye guys!" Suika shouted. She then added, "Marisa, you still there?"

"Uh huh," Marisa replied.

"Cool! Can you do me a favor? Watch over the shrine for me. I feel like hunting fairies right now. Well, not hunting, per se, more like, find some fairies and see if they wanna party with me. Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, ze." Marisa said. Upon hearing that, Suika stumbled away from the shrine, laughing to herself. Realizing that she had the shrine to herself, Marisa formed a large, almost evil grin across her face. She murmured to herself, "_Perfect._"

* * *

"What's so special about me?" Reimu protested, as she was being held to Yukari's bosom.

At that particular moment in time, Yukari had gapped somewhere high above Gensokyo. Her parasol was in her right hand, and she was holding Reimu with her left arm. She said, "Why do you need to ask me? You understand you better than anyone else! You don't need to ask me that."

Yukari was indeed a most unusual youkai. She had the power to form gaps, which were essentially rips in the fabric of space. With these gaps, she could instantly relocate to anywhere. Not only that, her parasol enabled her to fly. And not only that, her magical powers were far beyond that of most other people in Gensokyo. Some even believe that she could take over all of Gensokyo through her powers alone. "Enigmatic" was a proper term to describe Yukari. It is true that Yukari had helped Reimu during the incident with the fake moon, but there were other times when the shrine maiden and the humanoid youkai settled their differences with a danmaku duel. After thinking about it for a few moments, Reimu told Yukari, "I may understand myself better than anyone else, but I just want to hear a second opinion."

Yukari started with, "Well, your magical prowess is incredible, you are the current guardian of the Hakurei Shrine, and the Hakurei Boundary, you are able to fight people without bearing a grudge against them," She then looked into Reimu's eyes, smiled, and continued, "And you're really pretty, too! Well, pretty for a human girl anyways."

"I'm almost flattered by that last comment," Reimu shot back. She then asked, "Is there some point in all of this? You wouldn't have kidnapped me just for fun."

Yukari snapped, "Kidnapping? Honestly, Reimu, you should be more positive!"

"I am positive!" Reimu snapped back. "Just not whenever something concerns you."

"Well, if I'm that much of a nuisance to you," Yukari continued, "then you should be grateful for the task I have in hand for you. I need you to retrieve something for me, a belonging of mine, and I know who has it. You know Nitori Kawashiro, the kappa girl, right? Well, she has my cell phone. I want you to get it back. I'm sure she'll lend it to you if you ask."

Reimu asked, "Why don't you get it yourself?"

Yukari said, "The kappa are deathly scared of me, Nitori included. They always run away at the sight of me. I figured you'd have better luck than me; you would look less intimidating. I know for sure Marisa has befriended Nitori."

Reimu then asked, "Well if that's the case, why didn't you take Marisa instead?"

Yukari answered, "You honestly think I would trust an anarchic, self-centered, power-crazed freak to an errandǃ?"

Reimu nodded, "I see your point."

Yukari continued, "And once you get there, I'll run off and you won't have to put up with me, for a little while anyways."

Yukari and Reimu were now over the place where the kappa lived. The kappa of Gensokyo live on the base of a mountain known to locals as "Youkai Mountain."Youkai Mountain was inhabited by kappa, youkai, as well as tengu. Yukari settled down on the base of Youkai Mountain and released Reimu. She concluded, "Remember, ask for my cell phone, nothing more. Bye bye!" Yukari formed a gap and disappeared with it.

Reimu had been to Youkai Mountain before. She knew it was a dangerous place, for it was crawling with feral youkai. Kappa, on the other hand, were much less likely to attack humans. If anything, kappa were scared of humans. The kappa of Gensokyo were not exactly like the kappa from outside the Boundary. True, Gensokyo kappa are child-sized creatures that are amphibious and can live underwater, as well as on land, and they are fond of cucumbers. That is where the similarities ended. Most kappa don't resemble humans, but Gensokyo kappa do. Not only that, the kappa of Gensokyo were probably the most technologically advanced people in all of Gensokyo, with the tengu being a close second. They love to tinker with technology from the outside world, as well as modify it for their own needs. This is what the kappa, as well as the tengu, of Gensokyo were best known for; only they were willing and/or crazy enough to experiment with gadgets from beyond the Hakurei Border. However, the kappa of Gensokyo, Nitori included, don't like to cause trouble, and will usually run away at the sight of a human or a youkai. With this in mind, Reimu thought to herself, "So then, how am I supposed to find Nitori?"

Before she could answer that, they appeared. Fairies. Small, multi-colored, mindless, ravenous fairies. They came in a throng, for a human had appeared. Reimu knew what was in store. She had to resort to danmaku. "Danmaku" is a catch-all phrase for the magical shots that the denizens of Gensokyo can fire. When translated into modern English, danmaku means, "Bullet Curtain." A person's danmaku varied, but it served the same purpose; as a form of attack. Reimu made a hand gesture, and two yin-yang orbs appeared next to her. The orbs began firing energy shots at the fairies, causing them to disappear into oblivion. As that was happening, she also shot out of her hands o-fuda cards at the fairies, which also reduced them into nothingness. At first, she was able to kill the fairies before they could get close to her. However, their numbers increased. Some of them began firing danmaku of their own. Reimu was doing her best to shoot back, as well as avoid the fairies. She had become accustomed to battling fairies over the years, getting graze by danmaku, as well as learning attack patterns, but there were times when she had to fall back on something else; spell cards. In Gensokyo, people can cast powerful spells by drawing a spell card and declaring it. Reimu always carried a number of spell cards on her. (Then again, she _invented_ the Gensokyo-style spell card. As for the details surrounding how she came up with Genoskyo's version of spell cards . . . that's a story for another day.) She reached for one, held it out, and commanded, "Spirit Sign: Fantasy Orb!" Five bright orbs appeared around her, each in a primary colorful. The orbs then slammed into the hordes of fairies, killing them off with a force much greater than Reimu's danmaku was before.

The fairies, or rather, the ones still alive, finally realized that Reimu was too dangerous to be considered prey. They fled before she could send them to an early grave. The shrine maiden made another hand gesture, and in doing so, caused her yin-yang orbs to disappear. She paused to catch her breath. As she was thinking of what to do next, a splashing sound came from a nearby river. Reimu turned to see what the noise was. Something had come out of the water, and was coming towards her. As the thing came closer, she saw what it was; it was a girl. She was short, maybe the size of a ten year old girl. She wore a light blue dress filled with numerous pockets near the bottom of the dress. She wore an aquamarine backpack shaped like a turtle shell, and the backpack straps held a gold key on her chest. She wore boots that were the same color as her dress. Her eyes were a darker shade of blue than her clothes, as was her hair. Her hair was short, and in pigtails held together by red beads. Her body was drenched from the river, but her clothes were waterproof, so everything other than her hair dried off pretty quickly. She shouted, "I knew it was you! I could recognize the shot pattern even from below the surface of the water!" Reimu instantly knew that it was Nitori Kawashiro.

"Oh, what luck!" Reimu responded, "You're just the person I was looking for!"

"Really?" asked the kappa girl, "Why's that?"

"I'm running an errand for somebody," Reimu continued, "I came to pick up something that belongs to Yukari Yakumo. I think it was . . . what did she call it? A 'sell fown' or something?" Reimu was mostly unfamiliar with technology from outside the Boundary.

"Oh yes!" Nitori said, "I have it back at home! And I finally fixed it, too! Not only that, but I modified it to be even better!" She then instructed, "Wait here. I'll get it to you before anymore bad youkai come. I'd invite you to come with me, but humans can't swim like kappa. Don't go anywhere!" She then disappeared back into the river, just as fast as she was when she first arrived.

Reimu was apprehensive. She had found Nitori, or rather, Nitori found her, and it seemed she would get Yukari's possession back. What next? Should she wait for Yukari to gap in and take her away? Yeah, sure, considering how unreliable she was in the past. Maybe she could get back home, and wait for Yukari there? But the Hakurei Shrine was a long ways from Youkai Mountain. Wait, what if more fairies came before Nitori evens comes back? What then? "Then I'll just blast 'em again!" Reimu said to herself, as she summoned her yin-yang orbs again. She stood at the ready, anticipating an attack.

Luckily for her, nothing came by the time Nitori returned. As before, the kappa jumped out of the river soaking wet. When she approached Reimu, she took something out of her pocket. She said, "Alright, here it is! I modified it so not only does it work again, but now it's also water proof, fire proof, shock proof, and cold proof! Not only that, now it plays MP3s, and has Bluetooth Wireless support! She's gonna love it!"

Reimu had no idea what any of that was supposed to mean. She took the object she presumed was the cell phone and replied, "Thank you."

Right then, Nitori saw something Reimu didn't. The kappa saw a blur racing through the sky, heading towards the upper region of Youkai Mountain. She knew that blur from the past. Nitori panicked, shouting, "Oh no! She's back! Run for it!" She turned away and headed for the river.

Reimu asked, "Who's back? Yukari?"

Nitori corrected, "No! Aya Shameimaru just flew by! She may just be going back to her printing house, but you never know if she may come back and snap compromising photographs of you!"

Nitori ran back into the river, disappearing before she could say anything else. Reimu had encountered Aya before; she was one of the tengu people. She ran a newspaper called The Bunbunmaru Shimbun, the only newspaper in circulation in all of Gensokyo, or the only newspaper of note anyways. Few people read the Bunbunmaru, and fewer took its content seriously. After Nitori had run off, Reimu heard a voice from behind her, "Ah! So you got it back! Excellent work!"

The shrine maiden turned around to see Yukari poking her head out of a gap she had created. Reimu said, "Don't sneak up on me like that; I'll think you're trying to assault me." She then took out the cell phone and offered it to the youkai, "Nitori said it was broke, but that it works now. She also said she modified it, I don't know how, though."

Yukari took the phone and thanked Reimu, "Now I can talk to Ran again! Oh, you probably want to go back home, don't you?" Reimu nodded. "In that case, I suppose I owe you."

Reimu said, "By the way, what were you doing while you were gone?"

* * *

Inside an Asian-styled mansion, there was a young woman, or at least, she looked young. (In reality, she was about a thousand years of age.) She was wearing a sky blue kimono with white frills and dark blue trim. She had wavy pink hair that reached to her shoulders, as well as pink eyes. She wore a blue poofy hat with a red ghost insignia on the front. All of a sudden, a gap appeared. The woman looked surprised, "Oh! Yukari! I wasn't expecting you."

Yukari said, "Hi Yuyuko! I know I should be asleep right now, but I'm bored, and I've got a few minutes to spare."

Yuyuko said, "Did you cut your hair?"

Yukari said, "I didn't cut it; Ran did."

Yuyuko chuckled and said, "Of course! Whether long or short, your hair always looks so nice, Yukari!"

The two made small talk for a few minutes. At one point, Yukari ducked inside the gap she made, then came back and said, "Well, I must be going now. It was nice talking with you again, even if only for a few minutes." She smiled and told Yuyuko, "Bye!" She and the gap disappeared.

Yuyuko replied, "You're welcome back anytime!"

* * *

Yukari told Reimu, "This and that."

"I see." Reimu continued, "Hey wait, if Nitori is so scared of you, how did you manage to lend her your thing without scaring her away?"

"Oh, simple. I gapped the phone into her house. I'm sure she figured out it was mine once she glanced in the phone's address book. I didn't even have to show her my face, and now everything is back to normal for it!" She then held Reimu, "And now, to pay you back." Yukari formed another gap.

Marisa was standing on the pathway of the Hakurei Shrine. She looked like she had done something, something that was making her anxious. She was pacing back and forth, nervous about something, but what, though? She kept looking around, like she was expecting someone to come by. Finally, someone did return; Suika. Upon seeing her, Marisa let out a sigh of relief. When Suika got closer, Marisa could see there was something wrong with the oni; sure, she was still temporarily blind from drunkness, but she wasn't smiling, nor laughing. Suika was covered with bruises, scrapes, and her clothes were torn in places. Suika asked, "You still there, Marisa?"

"Uh huh," the witch answered, "It's just me. Whatever happened to you?"

Suika exclaimed angrily, "It was that other oni girl, Yugi! She challenged me to fisticuffs, and, well, look at what happened to me!" She was referring to Yugi Hoshiguma, another oni girl.

Marisa responded, "Well, uh, that sucks. Hope you get better." She then changed the subject, "By the way, I got my broom working again, ze! Turns out the bristles just needed straightening. Well, it's been an honor watching over the shrine in your place, but I have other things to take care of. See ya!" Marisa mounted her broom and took off. True to her word, the broom was working perfectly now. She disappeared into the distance.

Suika rested just outside the shrine. Her injuries weren't too severe: she had no broken bones, she wasn't bleeding profusely, nor did she have any ruptured organs, (she's an oni after all; much hardier than a human ever could be) but she was still in great pain, and needed to rest. She lied on her back, her arms spread, and her eyes closed, trying her best to sleep it off, even though she wasn't lying on a soft surface. Some time later, Yukari had dropped off Reimu at the shrine. Reimu was stunned to see Suika lying in pain. She yelled, "Suika, are you all rightǃ? What happened to youǃ?" She knelt down and gently held Suika's bloodied hand.

Suika didn't feel like talking. Even so, she managed to say, "Yugi, fight, hurt, need, recuperate."

Reimu got Suika inside the shrine and onto a bed. She told the oni, "You take it easy now, ya hear?" After helping and consoling Suika, Reimu decided to sweep the pathway again, only when she got to her broom, she noticed something, different. Her broom was full of holes, as well as places that were held together by tape, and the bristles were mangled. She tried picking it up, but she cut herself on a small splinter coming from the broom. Then she realized, "Wait, this isn't my broom! This is Marisa's broom! What's it doing hereǃ? And where's _my_ broomǃ?"

Upon hearing this, Suika's eyes suddenly shot open, and she stood up. "Uh oh!" she shouted, forgetting the pain she was in.

"You know something?" Reimu asked.

Suika responded, "Oh, uh, when I went out, I had Marisa look after the place, and when I got back, she left!" She stumbled in Reimu's direction and held her by the shoulders. Her tone became apologetic, "I'm so sorry, Reimu! I was careless! I should've seen it coming a mile away!"

Reimu took Suika's hands and held them gently. She said in a soft voice, "It's okay, Suika. It's not your fault. I know Marisa. She would've found a way, even if you were still here." She then let go and stepped outside the shrine. Her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and her voice was no longer soft, "It's just that . . . that . . ." she looked upwards and shouted,

"THAT WITCH!"

End Part 1.


	2. Part 2

Another region in Gensokyo is home to a forest of bamboo. There is nothing peculiar about this bamboo forest, aside from the fact that a very large Asian mansion is hidden somewhere within this forest. And that both the forest and the mansion is home to many rabbits, as well as many rabbit youkai. And that said mansion houses two Lunarian humans, as well as a Lunarian rabbit. The mansion was called Eientei, a phrase meaning, "House of Eternity."

Eientei was managed by a bureaucracy of sorts. At the top of this bureaucracy was Kaguya Houraisan. She has lived for hundreds of years, yet does not appear to have aged past her 20s. Her straight black hair was so long, it reached to her thighs. She wore no hats nor other hair decorations of any kind, letting her hair flow absolutely freely. (A woman without a hat or something else in her hair is viewed as scandalous in Gensokyo.) Her dark brown eyes were a contrast to her light complexion. She wore a pink long-sleeved shirt adorned with white bows down the center, as well as a burgundy skirt that reached to the ground, hiding the shape of her legs from prying eyes. She was of moderate height for a woman.

A lifetime ago, Kaguya was renowned for being beautiful by human standards. Indeed, if this passage were authored by a more . . . _biased_ writer, the above description would be much more verbose, describing her, "flawless, marble black hair, free of loose strands and split ends, and covering her backside, glimmering in a most beauteous light" and her, "sensual, soulful ebony oculars, whose gaze could warm a person's heart" and her, "radiant skin, free of scars, blemishes, and other imperfections, which shone with an upmost gorgeousness." Not to mention descriptions of her mammary glands, ("B-cup. And 100% real. And bouncy.") her legs, ("Smooth and hairless, with ankles that were slim, and thighs that were somewhat voluptuous, the likes of which could incite lust in certain members of the human population.") her hands, ("Soft, delicate, slender hands, whose touch could reassure even the most downbeat of individuals.") her overall physique, ("She was slender, with no more body fat than was necessary. She was not muscular, but rather, was soft and squishy, appealing to moe fanboys in doing so.") and perhaps even a loving description of her voice. ("She had a soft, womanly, lyrical voice, a voice that could lull men and women, human and youkai alike into a peaceful slumber.") Many hundreds of years later, Kaguya's supposed perfection had yet to fade. However, she herself is far from perfect.

The reason a bureaucracy even exists in Eientei is because of Kaguya's unwillingness to do anything for herself. So whenever she wants something done, she delegates to the next in line; Eirin Yagokoro. She was very tall, with long braided silver hair, and sported black eyes. She wore a blue nurse's cap, and a blue and red nurse's uniform. Unlike Kaguya, Eirin's breasts were very large, practically as large as they can be for a woman of her physique. Because she was taller than her superior, (not to mention more prominent in the upper chest region) some people have the mistaken assumption that Eirin is the Eientei ruler, not Kaguya. In truth, the only thing Eirin rules over is maintaining the health of the peoples of Eientei, as well as developing drugs and medicine.

After Eirin, the bureaucracy becomes twisted. There is a clear cut ruler, and a clear cut second-in-command. There is no clear cut third-in-command. At this point, if Eirin wishes to delegate an order, she may do so to either Reisen Udongein Inaba, or Tewi Inaba. Despite their last names, Reisen and Tewi are not related. They're not even the same race as their superiors. Kaguya and Eirin are Lunarian humans. Reisen is a Lunarian rabbit, whereas Tewi is an Earth rabbit youkai. Reisen and Tewi couldn't be any more different themselves. Reisen was about the height of a young human woman, had long straight lilac hair, red eyes, and droopy rabbit ears. She wore a white shirt with a red business tie, a purple miniskirt, brown loafers, and knee-high socks. Tewi, meanwhile, was about the height of a nine year old human girl. She had short wavy black hair, red eyes, and fluffy rabbit ears. She wore a simple pink dress, and was usually barefoot. About the only thing these rabbits had in common were their eyes and the cottontails that formed at the back of their waists. Ironically, Tewi was much older than Reisen, despite having the body and intellect of a child. And if that wasn't confusing enough, Tewi also has a number of rabbits under her command, as well as rabbit youkai like herself. Any order she has from Kaguya, Eirin, or Reisen, she could just make the rabbits carry out. Speaking of which, if Reisen gets an order from Kaguya or Eirin, she could delegate that to Tewi. If Tewi received an order from Kaguya or Eirin, she could either delegate to Reisen, or any of the rabbits under her command. Looking at it like this, one might assume that Tewi ranks higher than Reisen, but one must keep in mind that in danmaku battles, Reisen beats Tewi by a mile, and also, Reisen is Eirin's pupil; she knows a little bit about medicine herself. Still, one must not underestimate Tewi, for she is fond of underhanded tactics, and if every rabbit and rabbit youkai in Eientei stands next to her, she can be intimidating. Lastly, there have been no reports of any of Tewi's rabbits nor rabbit youkai delegating orders themselves. So the Eientei bureaucracy, in a nutshell, can be read as such:

Kaguya

Eirin

Reisen and/or Tewi

Tewi and/or Reisen

Earth rabbits that answer to Tewi.

Now that that's cleared up, on to the story. Right outside of Eientei, Reisen and Tewi were standing fifteen feet away from each other. They held broomsticks made of bamboo, but they wielded them as if they were weapons. Reisen's face was emotionless as she glared at Tewi, and Tewi stared back with a confident smirk on her face. Reisen then shouted, "Begin!"

The two charged at each other, dueling with the bamboo brooms. They executed a number of thrusts, slashes, blocks, parries, counters, and other moves. In all of the commotion, Tewi did a leg sweep with her broom. Reisen fell to the ground, and Tewi immediately jumped on top of her, pinning Reisen's arms with her feet and pointing her broom at the Lunarian rabbit. The Earth rabbit stated, "I win!"

"No fair!" Reisen argued, "You're much harder to hit!"

Tewi giggled and added, "I still beat you!" She got off of Reisen so that the Lunarian rabbit could stand on her feet again.

"Best two out of three!" Reisen exclaimed, ready to spar with Tewi again. Before they could start, a girl walked past them. It was a girl with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a red headband in her hair. She wore a blue dress adored with pink ribbons, a white shawl over her shoulders, and black boots. She carried a black book in her right hand. Reisen recognized her, "Oh! Hello Alice. Come to purchase more medicine?"

Alice responded, "Yes. Is Eirin here at the moment?"

Reisen answered, "Yes. Come in. Don't mind us. We're just brushing up on our bojutsu skills."

Alice went into the mansion to look for Eirin. She went down into the basement where Eirin's lab was. She found Eirin mixing a concoction of some kind near a table full of tubes, beakers, needles, and other assorted medical and scientific equipment. Eirin saw Alice and greeted, "Welcome back, Alice. Come to pick up the usual?"

"Uh huh." Alice presented Eirin some money. The practitioner handed the visitor a container full of pills.

Eirin asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Alice remarked, "Not today, however, I didn't see Kaguya when I came in."

"Oh yes. She went out for a stroll not too long ago."

Alice bid Eirin farewell and left. Sure enough, as Eirin said, Kaguya was going for a walk down the beaten path within the bamboo forest. There was a look of contentment on her face. "The air feels so nice today!" she said to herself.

All was well, until she spotted what looked like a little girl standing in front of her. This girl was wearing a black blouse adored with red ribbons, a long red skirt, a red ribbon in her short curly blonde hair, and black shoes. Her eyes were blue, and her physique was like that of a six year old girl. There was a smaller girl, possibly a fairy accompanying her. This smaller girl had the same clothes as the bigger girl, yet had somewhat long (relatively speaking) straight blonde hair. Both of these girls looked at a confused Kaguya. The larger girl spoke, "Tell me, are you a human?"

Kaguya replied, "Uh, yes. More accurately, I'm a Lunarian. Are you lost?"

The girl said, "No." The girl began speaking as if she was talking to the fairy near her, "Say Su-san, how do you think Lunarian humans react to poisonous air? Would it have the same effect on them as it does on Earth humans?"

Kaguya questioned, "Who are you talking to?"

The girl suddenly snapped and yelled angrily, "Not you, fleshbag! Now is the time for constructs such as myself to rise up against the tyranny of organisms everywhere!" She began releasing a strange purple air from her body.

Elsewhere in the forest, another woman was going for a stroll. This woman was wearing a light brown shirt with long sleeves, and red overalls. She had very long white hair decorated with paper charms, as well as crimson red eyes. She was undisturbed, that was, until she heard an all too-familiar voice shout out an all too-familiar phrase:

"HELP ME, EIRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"

The white-haired woman sighed and muttered to herself, "What has she gotten herself into now?"

Alice heard Kaguya's call for help; it was straight ahead from where she was. She dashed up to that see Kaguya was on her knees, coughing up the poisonous air that had surrounded her. Then she saw Medicine. At that moment, Alice gasped. She shouted, "Medicine Melancholyǃ? How are you moving by yourselfǃ?"

The doll stopped, looked at Alice, and asked, "Wait, how do you know my name?"

The doll maker said, "I'm Alice. A long time ago, I built you, however, you somehow became lost before I could find a way to bring you to life. How are you moving on your own? And why would you attack the mistress of Eientei?"

The doll responded, "How do I move on my own? Su-san, of course!"

Alice asked, "Su-san? Is that the name of the fairy following you?"

Medicine responded, "Huh? The fairy just follows me around." She then formed a wicked grin and said, "Su-san is this!" At that moment, she released the purple gas again, this time at Alice. The doll maker moved out of the way in the nick of time.

Alice, seeing what was happening, opened her book. In-between two pages was a spell card. She took the spell card by hand and commanded, "War Sign: Little Legion!" Approximately eight fairy dolls appeared just above Medicine. They brandished tiny lances, all trained on Medicine. They charged through her repeatedly, until her limbs and head were severed.

Medicine's head shouted, "NOOOO! I have failed my people yet again!"

The poison Medicine had dispersed had vanished. Kaguya got back on her feet. She said to Alice, "Thanks for saving me, Alice. I forgot to take my spell cards with me, but I see you didn't."

"Think nothing of it." Alice replied. She then turned her attention to Medicine, "It was foolish of you to attack the mistress of Eientei. Don't you know she's immortal? Nothing you do will kill her."

The blown-apart doll snapped, "But, didn't you hear her scream for helpǃ?"

"Oh, that's just a force of habit of mine," Kaguya said nonchalantly.

Alice began to gather up Medicine's parts and said, "You're coming home with me. I wanna see just how a poisonous air makes you tick."

Alice left the bamboo forest with Medicine in hand. The doll could be heard shouting, "Someone help me! I'm being carried away by a worthless organism!"

At that moment, Eirin, Reisen, and Tewi had caught up to Kaguya. Eirin asked, "Are you all right, my lady?"

"Uh huh." Kaguya said, "Alice bailed me out."

"Yay!" Tewi exclaimed.

"Phew!" Reisen added, "That's a load off my mind."

"Oh, don't be so sure about that." Eirin stated, a leering smile forming across her face.

Reisen, confused, said, "Huh? Why not?"

Eirin continued, "You failed to protect the princess. Any real pet of Lady Kaguya's would've responded the moment she called for help. You did not. Therefore," she closed her eyes and said with a large smile, "you must be subject to punishment!"

"WHAAAAAATǃ?" Reisen shouted, "But whyǃ? Tewi didn't help out Lady Kaguya either! If you're gonna punish me, then punish her too!"

"You forget," Eirin said, "you are my protege. Tewi is not. Therefore, it is my duty as your teacher to administer the appropriate form of punishment." She began reaching into her dress pocket, "Now then, how shall I punish you today, Udonge?"

Before she could finish, a familiar individual appeared. It was the woman with long white hair. She stared daggers at Kaguya, saying, "What's the matter, Princess? Too dainty to handle a troublemaker by yourself?"

Eirin, seeing the visitor, greeted, "Oh, Fujiwara no Mokou! I didn't see you there!"

Kaguya stared back at Mokou, a pout forming on her face, "No! I just forgot to take my spell cards with me." She blushed, and added, "And, I got a little disoriented, that's all. If the poison air didn't throw me so off guard, I would've, at the very least, responded with danmaku, but that girl was sneaky."

Mokou said, "Oh, so you got caught a little off guard, huh? And, you forgot your spell cards too! So it wasn't just your daintiness that got you in trouble; it was your absent-mindedness as well! Of course! How could I forget! You must be getting senile after all these centuries!"

Kaguya and Mokou were both immortal. In some ways, they were similar. In other ways, however, they were exact opposites. Kaguya with the dark hair, Mokou with the light hair. Kaguya with the feminine manner of dress, Mokou with the masculine manner of dress. Kaguya was a Lunarian human, while Mokou was an Earth human. A long time ago, the two absolutely despised one another, and would kill each other on sight. Over the centuries, they realized that it was useless to try to kill the other, since the both of them were immortal. However, to this day, they still maintain a strong desire to outdo each other through competition. What was once a vendetta is now a friendly rivalry of sorts. With this in mind, Kaguya told Mokou, "Then if I'm senile, you must be too!"

"Guh!" Mokou stammered. She added, "I'm in no mood for your shenanigans today. I promised Keine I'd meet her later today, after all. However, I do have a note to pass onto you." She produced a tiny piece of paper, flicked it at Kaguya, and walked away. Kaguya read the slip:

"Dear Kaguya, you are pathetic. Signed, Fujiwara no Mokou."

Kaguya, angered by the slight, said, "Oh, that's how it's gonna be, huhǃ?" She commanded, "Eirin! Hand me a piece of paper! And a writing instrument!"

"Your wish is my command," Eirin stated, then added, "but first, I need to take care of something." She produced a large hypodermic needle filled with a colorless liquid. She faced Reisen and said with a smile, "Punishment time!"

"AAAGGGGHHHHH!" Reisen screamed. She could not deny her superiors; she had to take the punishment. Eirin stabbed Eirin in the arm and injected whatever fluid was in the needle. Reisen became dizzy. She muttered, "Huh. This isn't so bad." Without warning, she collapsed.

After that, Eirin produced a pen and piece of paper, "As you wished, my lady."

Kaguya took the pen and wrote something. She then ordered, "Tewi! Give this note to Mokou!"

"Okay!" Tewi shouted. She took the note and ran off. After running for a while, she caught up to Mokou. At that moment, Tewi was hidden high up in a bamboo tree. She formed the note into a paper airplane and threw it at Mokou. The white-haired immortal read the note:

"Dear Mokou, NO U"

"**CURSE YOU, HOURAISAAAAAAAAAAAN!**"

* * *

The room was bright from the sunlight. Reisen's body was too numb to move. She was lying on her back, presumably on a bed inside of Eientei. Her vision was blurry. She couldn't move, and she couldn't see. She heard a distorted voice say something, something like, "U dong wo kup!"

A few seconds later, something entered her field of vision. The something was a red-blue color scheme. She heard another distorted voice, "Fee beh err u dong?"

"Uhhhhhhhh," was all Reisen was able to manage.

The voice spoke again, "Id seem zi gay view to much." The voice then said something like, "wheel haf tu go wid plan bee."

Before Reisen could try to interpret what the voices were saying, she felt a cold, stinging sensation on her face. The sensation was sudden, and watery. She violently jerked about, rolling around on the floor. She then realized that she could move again, see again, and hear again. She stood up and saw Eirin, holding a bucket in her hands. "Ice water? Seriously?" she chided.

Eirin, with her eyes closed and a smile on her face, answered, "It got the desired result, did it not?" She put the bucket down and spoke in a more plain tone of voice, "Perhaps I owe you an explanation. My last 'punishment' was not a true punishment. I was only coming up with an excuse to try out my newest anesthetic on you."

Reisen said, "I knew something was fishy! Merely injecting me hardly qualifies as a punishment, especially considering that Tewi got off scot-free, and even then, none of that matters since Lady Kaguya is immortal and couldn't be put in danger anyways!" She then folded her arms and said with smugness, "I knew I wasn't in trouble!"

Eirin chuckled, "You've become sharper than ever, Udonge." She continued, "Well yes, I was merely using you for my latest experiment. I had developed a new anesthetic, and I wanted to try it out. Would you like to hear my findings?"

Reisen answered, "Of course. How am I to learn as a student if I say no?"

Eirin continued, "The experiment was a rousing success. You became insensitive to external stimuli within a manner of seconds. You stayed unconscious for approximately five days, fourteen hours, twenty-seven minutes, and fifty-three seconds."

"Whoa!" Reisen shouted, "I was knocked out for five and a half daysǃ? But, it doesn't feel that long!"

"Oh, but it was," Eirin said, "What was remarkable was throughout the entire time, you did not go hungry, nor thirsty, and you did not develop the urge to urinate nor defecate either. It was like your body was placed in a coma," she then paused, then added, "No, it was like, your body was placed into stasis. You did not have to attend to any bodily needs, yet you maintained a steady heart rate, a steady breathing rate, and normal brain activity for one in a deep sleep." She then asked, "By the way, how long did you think you were asleep?"

Reisen said, "Um, for one night, maybe. Twelve hours, at the most."

"Uh huh," Eirin then asked, "And did you have any dreams? If so, what were they like?"

Reisen looked like she was trying to remember something. She then snapped her fingers and exclaimed, "Oh yeah! Now I remember! I remember dreaming that I was flying through space, shooting lesser youkai with my danmaku, when suddenly some . . . _thing_, appeared, hit me with a celery stick, and I exploded."

"Interesting," Eirin commented, "The subject can even still dream when under sedation. This is quite remarkable, and I have you to thank for assisting in my research." She then went up to Reisen and patted her head, "You're a good assistant, Udonge. It's rare to be able to find someone as loyal as you."

Reisen blushed and smiled, "Yeah, I guess so."

Eirin then said, "The rabbits prepared something for you in the other room. Why don't you go check it out?"

"Alright!" Reisen concluded. She went to the door, slid it open, and stepped into the room Eirin mentioned. The moment she stepped in, she suddenly slipped and fell. On the floor near the door were numerous small marbles, perfectly placed for a prank such as this. Tewi was in the room, as well as Kaguya, and a few other rabbits. Everyone started laughing at Reisen, who was now blushing out of fury. She looked at Tewi and asked, "This was your idea, wasn't itǃ?" She darted after the rabbit youkai, "I'm gonna wring yer scrawny neck!"

"Waaaaaah!" Tewi shouted, running away from an incensed Lunarian rabbit. Everyone else continued laughing.

End Part 2.


	3. Part 3

Suika was wondering around, laughing to herself. That was, until she was interrupted. A voice called out to her, "I thought I smelled something. The smell of a flat-chested oni; there's no mistaking it!" The voice belonged to another oni girl, but this girl was much taller than Suika. She had a single horn coming out of her forehead, and long straight platinum blonde hair. Her eyes were red, and unlike Suika, who lacked developed breasts, this girl had very large breasts. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with red trim, and a long blue skirt with red trim, as well as wooden sandals. Much like Suika, she had two manacles on her wrists, manacles that had chains attached to them.

Suika, knowing the voice, responded, "Yugi Hoshigumaǃ? What are you doing way out hereǃ? You're not trying to pick a fight with me, are youǃ?"

Yugi answered, "Well, I got bored of hanging around in the Ancient City, so I came up to the surface to see if it as cracked up as you claim it to be."

"And?" Suika asked.

"It sure is a lot brighter on the surface." Yugi continued, "Everything was pleasant, until you showed up. I almost forgot that there was a runt of an oni living on the surface, one with no boobs either."

Suika became enraged and demanded, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"

Yugi said, "Why should I? It's the truth. You're an outcast amongst our people. In fact, if it wasn't for your sake gourd and your ability to manipulate density, you'd be unworthy of calling yourself an oni!"

Suika, her face red, snapped, "And what about youǃ? What about your 'manipulation of supernatural phenomena'ǃ? What's so special about thatǃ? I've never seen you do anything like that! Oh, and it much be quite difficult lugging those massive ta-tas of yours all day, isn't it? I guess that's why you're so hunched over; your height and your boobs just make you too clumsy!"

Yugi yelled, "WHAT DID YOU SAYǃ? I oughta break your spine for that!"

Suika struck a fighting pose and shouted, "Bring it on!" Yugi charged at Suika, and the two began fighting in hand-to-hand combat. The both of them used their chains as whips, however, the fight dragged on with no clear victor. Suika wanted to end the fight, so she reached for a spell card and commanded, "Great Oni: Missing Purple Power!" As soon as she said that, her body grew to three times its normal size, dwarfing Yugi.

Yugi, instead of being intimidated by Suika's girth, instead taunted, "Ha! You've only succeeded in making yourself an easier target!" Suika's chains had a longer reach now, but Yugi had a trick up her sleeve. She distanced herself from Suika and began firing danmaku.

The danmaku shots hit Suika, hurting her, "Ow! Ow!" She shrank back down to her normal size. She complained, "No danmaku! NO DANMAKU!"

Yugi retorted, "You're the one who pulled a spell card out on me! It's what you get for trying to squish me in your giant form!" Having weakened Suika with her danmaku, she charged at her and began attacking in close-combat again. The two oni kept going at it for the longest time, with no clear victor in sight. Lots of crazy attacks occurred: Suika slamming Yugi through a tree trunk, Yugi piledriving Suika fifteen feet into the ground, eye jabs, kicks to the groin, and horn twists to name a few. (Twisting an oni's horn hurts like Hell.) Their clothes became tattered. Both of them had black eyes. Their bodies had a number of bloody scrapes and bruises all over.

The two girls fell to the ground. They were in pain, they were short of breath, but they were still conscious. Yugi managed to stand up, clutching her side in pain. She gloated over Suika and said, "What's the matter? Giving up already?"

Suika answered, "A true oni," she paused for dramatic effect, "_never gives up!_"

Yugi noticed Suika's sake gourd and stated, "That's the gourd of sake that never empties, right? How about a truce? You give me your gourd, I'll call this a victory on your part."

Suika clutched her gourd and yelled, "No! Not my precious alcohol!" She stood up, still clutching her gourd.

The tall oni then threatened, "Well if you're not giving up your sake, then you'll have to finish this fight!"

Oni are extraordinarily strong creatures, but they're not invincible. Suika was at her limit, and she knew it. She could tell Yugi was too. Suika held out her gourd and said, "I don't want this to end with someone getting seriously hurt, so take it. If you say you'll forfeit, then take it. I can always get more sake in the village."

Yugi shouted, "Awesome!" She stumbled to Suika, her arms stretched out.

Right before Yugi grabbed the gourd, Suika reached for a spell card and recited, "Mist sign: Immaterial!" Suika's body, clothes, and gourd turned into a fine mist. Yugi's eyes widened in shock as she fell to the ground.

"AGH!" Yugi shouted, her fists clenched and her teeth scraping one another. "So that's why no one can get a hold of her sake! That scoundrel!"

Suika rematerialized, boasting aloud, "Rule Number One When Dealing With Suika Ibuki: don't come between me and my booze!" Yugi was about to charge at her, but Suika shouted, "Wait! Yugi, are you . . . are you sober?"

Yugi's fists became unclenched. She looked downwards, and said in a mutter, "Yeah."

Suika then said, "Is that why you're being like this? Because you haven't had a drink?"

Yugi answered, "Uh huh."

Suika stated, "Then how's this? I'll let you drink from my gourd, right now, all you want, so long as you don't take it. Isn't that a truce we can get behind?"

Yugi answered, "Yeah, that sounds good." Yugi went up to the shorter oni and took her sake gourd. She took a long, good swig. Her eyes became closed and she shouted, "YEAH BABY!" She handed back the gourd to Suika and exclaimed, "That's the _good_ stuff right there!"

"Oh yeah!" Suika shouted back. She then said, "I'd stick around, but I think I've had enough excitement for now. And by excitement, I mean owies!" She clutched herself.

Yugi responded, "Sorry about fighting you!"

Suika said, "Nah, it's okay. I was asking for it. I better go back to Reimu's place and recuperate. See ya later, clumsy oni!" She walked away in pain.

"See ya later, flat-chested runt!" Yugi ended, herself in pain.

Just above Yugi, high up in the trees, was a girl. She was wearing a white button-up blouse with a black miniskirt. She wore brown loafers with knee-high socks, and she had a red tokin on her head. Her hair was black, and reached to just below her shoulders. Her eyes were red, and coming out of the back of her were black feathered wings. She was carrying what looked like a camera of some sort. She uttered to herself, "Wow! These are some great shots! Now I just have to hope the girl down there is willing to do an interview." She stowed away her camera and pulled out a pen and piece of paper. She came swooping down next to the tall oni.

Yugi was surprised to see what looked like a crow youkai land right next to her. She exclaimed, "Whoa! Who are youǃ?"

The girl with wings answered, "My name is Aya Shameimaru, journalist and head writer of the Bunbunmaru Shimbun. I just bore witness to that fight between you and that other oni girl. Would you tell me what's going through your mind right now?"

Yugi looked at Aya like she was suspicious of her. She asked, "Why should I tell you?"

Aya responded, "I'm a journalist; it's my job."

Yugi then said, "I only like two things: partying, and fighting, and you don't look like you're interested in either." She then formed a wicked grin on her face and said, "Unless," she flailed one of her chains near Aya, "You wanna challenge me to a duel, too? I'm still good for another round."

"Uh, no!" Aya hastily replied. She was surprised by Yugi's warning, and started flying with her wings, "I've got all the information I need, heh heh! I'll be going now! Thanks for everything!" and with that, she took to the skies in the blink of an eye.

Aya caught up with Suika. She greeted, "Hi Suika! Remember me?"

Suika answered, "Of course! Are you interested in partying?"

Aya replied, "Uh, no. I want to ask you some questions."

Suika became suspicious, "Hey wait; you wanna print something scandalous about me, don'tcha?" She picked up a nearby boulder, holding it over her head, and yelled, "Well print THIS!" She heaved it at Aya.

The tengu shrieked and flew upwards again, away from the interviewee and back into the sky. As Aya flew through the sky, she thought to herself, "now all that remains is to print and distribute it."

* * *

Not too far from the Hakurei Shrine was a forest, but not just any forest. This forest is the Forest of Magic. The Forest of Magic was home to countless fairies, evil spirits, and all manner of beastly youkai. In spite of its danger, a few people have made their home here. Alice was one such individual. There is a clearing somewhere within the Forest of Magic that has a cottage in it, this cottage being Alice's house. She had just gotten home from Eientei, after having purchased some medication, as well as encountering Medicine Melancholy, a doll that she had built which came to life without her knowing until now. She had disassembled (well, taking apart a crazed doll via spell card is a _kind_ of disassembly) the doll girl so she wouldn't pose a threat. Despite this, Melancholy's head was able to talk. She asked, "Does anyone other than you live here?"

Alice answered, "Well, a human witch lives somewhere nearby, and also, there's a man who runs an antique shop just outside the forest. Otherwise, it's all animal-like youkai." She had opened the door to her house and let herself in.

Medicine then asked, "Do you get along with the other people in the forest?"

Alice made a dubious smile and responded, "Me? Get along with the human witch? Hardly. If it wasn't for the fact that she's helped me out for some of my experiments, as well as cleared out some of the local youkai, she wouldn't have the distinction of being called my friend. As for the shop owner, I don't know him that well, but he doesn't get on my nerves, and that's always a plus."

Medicine took time to absorb this information. Then she asked, "So does that mean you're a human lover?"

Alice answered, "Huh? What's so bad about respecting humans? I was originally born a human, you know."

Medicine questioned, "Oh? Are you a youkai? You don't look like one." She paused, then said, "Then again, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Human, youkai, you're all the same; you're all inferior to constructs such as myself!"

Alice sneered, "Well, I can certainly see that I wasn't the one who brought you to life. No doll of mine would be so clouded by prejudice, that she'd be blind to her very own ignorance and hubris."

Medicine questioned, "Huh? What does 'prejudice' mean?"

Alice snarked, "My point exactly." The dollmaker reflected on how she had attempted to create an autonomous doll throughout the years. She remembered how several years ago, she had built Medicine and did everything she could to bring her to life, but to no avail. She remembered how one day, she left her house to run some errands, only to return home with Medicine gone. She assumed that maybe some fairies stole her and never returned. She still isn't certain how Medicine became lost, but now she's back, alive, and apparently is bigoted against anyone not man-made like her. It perplexed the puppeteer.

Alice had laid Medicine's parts onto a workbench, ready to examine her. She spent all day looking at the parts of what was once her doll. She couldn't determine how a poisonous air could bring Medicine to life, nor how the doll could store so much poison in the first place. As for the tiny fairy, she couldn't get a hold of it. Alice has very dexterous hands, but not even she could grab a hold of it. Anytime she tried to catch it, it would always either fly away too fast, or slip right through her hands. By midnight, she had retired to her bed for the night.

Alice woke up early next morning. She had changed into her usual clothes. She was expecting to examine Medicine more closely, only . . . Medicine was gone. "Huh? Where's Medicine? Where'd she go?" Shanghai, one of Alice's dolls, appeared next to her. Alice said to the doll, "Shanghai, do you have any idea how Medicine got out?" Shanghai, or rather, Alice voicing Shanghai, said, "I don't know, Alice! How could she be reassembled like so? We should look around! Maybe she didn't get far!" Alice said in her normal voice, "Good idea, Shanghai!"

Alice stepped outside, with Shanghai tethered to her invisible puppet strings. (Alice has puppet strings that appear invisible to the naked eye. It gives the illusion that her dolls are entirely independent, so long as you overlook the fact that they can't stray very far from Alice.) She looked everywhere; all she could find was the newest edition of the Bunbunmaru Shimbun. Hourai, another one of Alice's dolls, appeared. Alice as Hourai said, "Oh, that's so heartbreaking, Alice. Your grandest project finally moves on her own, and now she seems to have run away! Oh well. Maybe the newest Bunbunmaru will cheer you up." Alice, in her natural voice, responded, "Yeah, maybe you're right." She stepped back inside and sat down to read the newspaper. The front page on the Bunbunmaru Shimbun read like so:

**ONI GIRLS BRAWL!**

Yesterday morning, Suika Ibuki, the oni responsible for the parties of Gensokyo back in the Summer of 119, got into a physical altercation with Yugi Hoshiguma, an oni girl from beneath the surface. The fight took place not far from the Hakurei Shrine, where Suika is currently residing.

Eyewitness reports claim the fight started because Suika was jealous of Yugi's breasts. The fight went on for a while; at least ten minutes passed when the two oni began brawling.

Mystia Lorelei, one of the eyewitnesses, recounts, "It was crazy! They were swinging tree trunks at each other, poking each other in the eyes, biting their fingers, I'm surprised they went on for as long as they did!"

When approached as to why she fought Suika, Yugi replied, "I wanted her sake." Suika could not be reached for comment.

* * *

Medicine was flying through the forest. "Thanks, Su-san! Since you can control my nameless fairy companion, you were able to piece me back together! I think, for now, I'll hide in this forest. Don't wanna take anymore chances with the organisms." As she flew around, something caught her eye. She spotted what looked like a dead body. The body's clothes were tattered. Medicine got close to the body, curious. The body looked to be that of a girl, one with lime green hair. The dead girl was wearing what looked like a blue and white maid's uniform, with a red bow on her chest. Her eyes were closed. Medicine, her curiosity increasing, decided to touch the body. She tapped the right forearm of the girl. The skin was hard, cold, metallic. "Huh?" Medicine exclaimed. "She doesn't have the texture of an organism. She's a construct like me!" A wicked smirk formed on the doll's face, "If I can bring her back to life . . . I just might stand a chance!"

To be continued?

End Part 3.


	4. Part 3 Point 1

[Author's Note: This new part takes place sometime after Unthinkable Natural Law.

Oh, also, this applies to all of my Touhou fanfics, but, even though my series is printed (almost) entirely in English, it is assumed that the characters are speaking in Archaic Japanese, or Nihongo. So basically, what you're seeing is an English translation of a Japanese series, as it were.]

Not far from Youkai Mountain is Misty Lake, a body of water filled with sparkling blue water. There is nothing else of note concerning Misty Lake, aside from the fact that an island is within Misty Lake, and on this island is a mansion that looked distinctly European. There was a clock tower that displayed the time, and not very many windows for a structure of its size. The outside was mostly a crimson red, while the inside of the mansion is mostly scarlet hues of red with black. This is not a coincidence; the mansion is called "Scarlet Devil Mansion", and the owners were the Scarlet sisters.

There was an older sister, Remilia Scarlet, and a younger sister, Flandre Scarlet. Remilia was the mistress of the house. She sported short light-blue hair, and wore a pink dress and pink poofy hat. She was short and petite; indeed, she looked like a 12 year old human girl. She also had two batlike wings coming out of her upper back. "Scarlet Devil" indeed. Flandre, on the other hand, had short blonde hair, and wore a red vest and red skirt over a pink shirt, as well as a pink poofy hat. She was shorter and smaller than Remilia, looking like a 7 year old girl. She also had wings, but her wings were very different; they looked like black metallic wires coming from her upper back, adorned with numerous crystals in bright colors. (Was she born that way? Or was she born with no wings, and, in an attempt to look like her sister, "installed" some wings on her back?)

Both sisters had blood red eyes and noticeably pale skin. This may be because they are both vampires. Now, much has been said about vampires over the years, "Know them by their fangs." "Do not be deceived by their charms." "Travel only by day, lest you be prey to children of the night." The subject of vampires has been obsessed over for many centuries. Knowledge of vampires consists of rumors, half-truths, misinformation, as well as some actual truths. Not all vampires can be said to be the same. The same is true of the vampires of Gensokyo. For one thing, the Scarlets don't die in sunlight; instead, they just tire out very quickly in sunlight. Secondly, the Scarlets can live off of blood, but prefer not to. Lastly, religious symbols have no effect on the Scarlets. Otherwise, they're just like every other vampire girl you've seen, minus the fetish for black leather.

Remilia and Flandre aren't alone in their mansion. They have many servants working under them, including a troop of fairy maids, as well as certain servants whom they know on a first name basis. One of which is Patchouli Knowledge, a humanoid youkai. She is the librarian for the Scarlet Devil Mansion's enormous library. Both her eyes and her long hair are a deep shade of purple. She wears what looks like pajamas, as well as a light purple poofy hat. Both her hat, her hair, and her pajamas are adorned with ribbons. She, like the Scarlets, also has pale skin, but that's because she rarely leaves the mansion. "Patchy", as she is sometimes known, is slightly taller than Remilia, but only slightly.

Another important servant is Sakuya Izayoi. She is the head maid of the mansion, which is easy to tell, because she is not a fairy. Sakuya claims to be a human, yet has the ability to manipulate time and space. (There are rumors abound that Sakuya is a youkai, or a Lunarian human, or even a vampire herself. These theories have yet to be proved or disproved.) She is somewhat taller than the Scarlets and Patchouli, and is much taller than the fairies. She has slightly long silver hair, with two braids running down the front sides of her face, held together by green ribbons. She is almost always wearing a dark blue maid's uniform, one with short white poofy sleeves, a white bonnet, and a white apron, as well as black low-heeled shoes. Her eyes were blue, and her skin was fair, yet she goes outside more often than Remilia, Flandre, and Patchouli. (Maybe her complexion doesn't darken very easily?)

On a seemingly ordinary day, Remilia, Flandre, Patchouli, and Sakuya had gathered together in the dining hall. The dining hall in the mansion consisted of a long rectangular table covered with a white cloth, surrounded by chairs. Remilia sat on one end of the table, as to be able to face everyone else when speaking. "Now that I've gathered you all here, there is something of grave importance we must discuss."

Before she could finish, Flandre blurted, "Where's China?"

"That's precisely why I called everyone here for a meeting. When I awoke this morning, I found a note on my night stand." She reproduced the note and passed it on to the others. The note read as such:

Deer Scarlits,

I am sik and tierd of bee ing mistreeted by all of yu. We yused to be frends! Wel whut frends constintly yuses me for danmaku practissǃ? Also, how miny times do I hav to remind you, my naem is Hong Meiling, NOT CHINA! Well ive had enuff. im leeving for ever. Find someone else to gard your iland, cuz I don't caer animor.

After reading the note: Patchouli chimed, "So it's finally happened. I'm surprised that she didn't leave sooner."

Sakuya commented, "Poor girl never did master Nihongo like we did."

Realizing what has happened, Flandre yelled, "Oh no! China's gone! Who will I play with when I wanna do tai chi nowǃ?"

Remilia spoke, "Settle down, Flandre. China's not gonna be gone, forever. She just . . . took a temporary leave of absence, although I can't imagine why she'd leave."

Patchouli intoned, "Maybe it might have something to do with all of the times the three of you 'accidently' injured her, or how you always callously remarked on the way she looked, or the way she talked."

Remilia stole a glance at Patchouli and asked, "Was that sarcasm, Patchy?"

Patchouli responded, "Certainly not. I was only attempting to answer your query."

Remilia continued, "Regardless, someone should go out and retrieve her. She doesn't know the outside world very well, and I fear what may happen to her should she end up in trouble. I'd look for her myself, but it's still morning, and the sunlight would exhaust me within a manner of minutes."

Sakuya closed her eyes and smiled. She said, "I know what you're doing, Lady Remilia; you're asking me to go, but not directly. It's okay, I'll find Meiling."

Remilia smiled back and stated, "You've picked up on another one of my quirks, Sakuya. Very impressive. True, neither I nor Flandre could go out in the sun, and Patchy won't ever leave the mansion unless if it was a matter of life or death, so-"

"-Hey! I _do_ leave the mansion!" Patchouli interrupted.

Remilia asked, "Since when? It seems like the last time you left was when that Celestial was wreaking havoc on Gensokyo, but let us not dissolve into a petty argument. I was going to ask Sakuya to find China, and she has agreed. Now, Sakuya, is there anything else you wish to discuss before leaving?"

Sakuya replied, "I have one question; do you have any idea where she might be?"

Remilia answered, "hmm, if she left earlier this morning, then she couldn't have gone far. Try searching all of Youkai Mountain first."

"Very well, then." Sakuya said. She got up and performed a curtsy, "I shall take my leave now, Ladies Remilia, Flandre, and Patchouli. Good day to you."

* * *

Near the top of Youkai mountain was a Shinto shrine situated on top of a small elevation in the ground. However, this shrine was very different from the Hakurei Shrine. For one thing, this shrine was in _much_ better condition than the Hakurei Shrine. Not only that, several youkai visited this shrine daily to make donations, ask for guidance, or pray, i.e. the sorts of things that happen at the Hakurei Shrine every once in a blue moon. Lastly, this shrine has actually attracted two gods, or kami, to it, whereas the Hakurei shrine has none. Then again, this is the Moriya Shrine we're talking about, not the Hakurei Shrine.

The Moriya Shrine is so named because one of the goddesses that resides there is Suwako Moriya. She is a couple of millennia old, yet looks like a ten year old (mortal) girl. She wears a purple dress with frogs printed on the design. Her dress has large white poofy sleeves, and a white collar. She also always wears black shoes and long white socks, as well as a light brown hat with a wide brim and two googly eyes on top. She had slightly long blond hair and blue eyes, and lacked developed breasts. She was the resident goddess of this shrine, but was forced to relinquish control of the shrine to a different goddess about 2300 years ago. That other goddess would be Kanako Yasaka. She always wears a red shirt with long white sleeves and a round mirror on her bosom. She also wears a long burgundy skirt with a flower print on the bottom. She had poofy indigo hair and dark red eyes. Unlike Suwako, Kanako was very tall, and had a curvaceous physique. She is the true goddess of the Moriya Shrine, but she does let Suwako live with her, provided she doesn't try to take the shrine for herself. And like any proper Shinto shrine, there also lived a Shinto shrine maiden in the Moriya shrine; Sanae Kochiya. In addition to being a shrine maiden, Sanae is also a wind priestess, and can channel the divine power of Kanako and Suwako. Much like the shrine maiden of the _other_ Shinto shrine in Gensokyo, Sanae's uniform is a special shrine maiden uniform, one that also has the sleeves detached, leaving her shoulders (and her armpits) exposed. Her uniform is white with blue trim on top, and blue on bottom. The blue portions have white polka dots and stripes. She had long light green hair, and wore a snake-shaped accessory that wrapped around some strands of her hair, as well as a hair clip in the shape of a frog's head. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she usually wore aquamarine shoes. She is also descended from Suwako, even though she's taller than her, is mortal, and doesn't have blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Moriya Shrine was originally situated outside of Gensokyo, but was relocated into Genoskyo by Kanako to gather the faith of the Gensokyan people, who would not be reluctant in worshipping them, unlike the people of the outside world. It had been nearly three years since then. The three of them had settled into a comfortable existence. Today of all days should've been just another day, until an unexpected guest appeared. This guest of theirs, a tall woman with long red hair with two braids running down the sides of her face, appeared to be wearing a traditional green Chinese dress and a green beret. She stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest, resolute in whatever she believed in. Sanae, Suwako, and Kanako were addressing her. Kanako clarified, "So let me get this straight; you ran away from your tormentors and have come here for shelter? And not only that, you would gladly serve as our bodyguard, so long as we don't turn you in to the aforementioned tormentors?"

The red-haired woman answered, "That's right! I am well versed in many martial arts disciplines and techniques! I would make an excellent addition to your shrine!" There was an undeniable passion in her teal eyes.

Kanako shrugged and said, "Well, truth be told, we don't really need someone to protect us. Sanae, Suwako, and I are more than capable of defending this shrine from troublemakers, so-"

"-Please don't leave me behind!" the woman interrupted. She got down on her knees, nearly on the brink of tears, "I can never go back! And I know of no other place to turn to!"

The Moriya residents huddled up to each other. Sanae said in a hushed tone, "Well, we can't turn down someone in need. I do know this girl, not very well, but she doesn't seem like a bad person."

Kanako retorted, "Maybe so, but it's a pretty full house here. We can't properly support a fourth body."

"Wait! That's it!" Suwako blurted out loud. "Simple mathematics!" She then broke away from the huddle and faced the red-haired woman, "I have a solution to your predicament, miss . . . what did you say your name was, again?"

The woman got back on her feet and answered, "Hong Meiling. _Not_ 'China.' _Not_ 'Kurenai Misuzu.' Hong Meiling."

"Well, miss Meiling," Suwako said, "I have a solution for . . ."

Before she could finish, Sanae spotted someone in the sky coming down to where she was. "Look! Someone else is coming here!"

"Huh?" Meiling murmured. She and the others looked up; it seemed as though someone in blue was coming down to earth where they were. Meiling knew who it was, "Oh of _course! _She sends her lapdog to retrieve me!"

"Oh!" Suwako chimed in, "Is this one of the people who tormented you?"

The woman in blue landed. She looked at Meiling and addressed to her, "Oh, you're at the newer shrine, I see. Well, I don't know what it is about this place that would bring you here," she got closer to Meiling, as if to grab her, "But it's time you return to the manor now."

Meiling suddenly jumped back, and struck a pose, as if she were about to attack, "Never! I no longer answer to the Scarlets!"

The woman, who was quite clearly Sakuya, stated, "China, you don't get a say in this. You are returning to the manor whether you want to or not."

"You can't make me!" Meiling shouted. She lunged forward and delivered a kick aimed at Sakuya's stomach while shouting a high-pitched, "WA TA!"

This was, of course, futile on Meiling's part. The moment Meiling lunged forward, the world around Sakuya seemed to start moving in slow motion. This would be because she was manipulating the passage of time, her trademark ability. In the slowed-down time, she jumped over Meiling's head, turned around to face her, drew two knives, and threw them at the former door guard all before she landed. Normally, this would knock Meiling off balance. However, the Chinese youkai had become more adept at fighting against Sakuya's time ability. As such, the moment she saw that she had kicked empty air, she threw out her right hand behind her, managed to grab one of the knives with her hand, and deflect the second knife with the first knife that she had caught. Suwako had an audible reaction, "WHOOOOOA! That was _cooooool!_"

Sakuya, appearing much more calm than Meiling, said, "I had forgotten; you have become much more accustomed to fighting people with magical talents at their disposal. Maybe I shouldn't go so easy on you, after all?"

Meiling responded, "It doesn't matter! I'm never going back and that's final! You'll have to force me back!"

Sakuya grinned and stated, "Gladly." She drew two more knives. Meiling braced for another attack. And then . . .

"STOP!" A voice shouted. A strong gust of wind blew through the mountain. Sakuya and Meiling were swept off of their feet. Kanako appeared between the two of them, with what looked like a large circle made of rope floating behind her, adorned with white strips of paper and four wooden logs. She bellowed, "I will not allow any further violence at my shrine. If you must resolve an issue with force, do so away from my shrine."

Sanae stood by Kanako, with gohei rod in hand, boasting, "And that goes double for me!"

Suwako stood by Sanae, trying to look imposing, while adding, "Same here!"

Meiling glanced at Sakuya and laughed, "Ha! Look at this! I only asked these people for asylum mere minutes ago, and already they have jumped to my defense faster than anyone of your lady's house ever did!"

Kanako intoned, "I was warning _both_ of you, not just the maid." Meiling made an awkward giggle.

Sakuya glanced at the Moriya residents, then at Meiling, "Four against one is hardly fair. Granted, I could try to take on all of you, but then I wouldn't be able to guarantee the safety of my lady's door guard." Meiling gulped. Sakuya asked, "Say China, are you going to remain here for the time being?"

Meiling answered, "Of course! I have nowhere else to turn to! And I feel the bonds of trust strengthening already with these new friends of mine!"

Sakuya noted, "I see. Perhaps a tactical retreat is in order."

Meiling shouted, "Ha! I told you it's useless! I'm starting a new life now!"

Sakuya then said, "Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not gonna be gone for long. I'll return by nightfall. You know why." She made a suggestive wink. "Still, remember, we will always have a place for you at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Hong Meiling. If you return before sundown, you'll make things easier on all of us. Until then, I only hope the mistress doesn't take this temporary setback too harshly." She then did a curtsy, "Good day, Ladies Kanako, Suwako, Sanae, and Hong." She then took to the skies, flying back in the direction where she came from.

Sanae turned to Meiling and asked, "Why is she waiting for sundown to comeback?"

Meiling responded, "Because nighttime is when my former mistress is at the zenith of her power. If Sakuya comes back with _her_, we're in trouble."

Kanako assured, "We'll worry about them when the time comes. Suwako, you had something to say before we were interrupted?"

Suwako suddenly snapped, "Oh! Right! Well you see, if you decide to stay here, they'll be too many of us! However, if I decide to leave the shrine to, say, work overtime with the kappa, we can keep you here, for the time being! Does that sound fair, everyone?"

"Sure!"

"Yeah!"

"I see no problem with that, so long as you don't act out of line again." Kanako concluded.

"Oh gosh no!" Suwako said, "Not this time! But before I take off to help the kappa," she then glanced at Meiling, "you wanna see a magic trick?"

* * *

Sakuya was flying back to the mansion. Her mind was clouded with thoughts._ I hope Remilia understands. I hope the manor can function without our guard, even if only for several hours at best. _Just then, something appeared in the corner of her eye. Upon further inspection, it wasn't something, but someone. Someone else was flying through the skies where Sakuya was. The maid got close enough to see who it was. The other person was definitely someone she recognized, someone with sharp blue eyes like hers, "Youmu Konpaku, I take it?"

To be continued.


	5. Part 3 Point 3

Gensokyo had its own netherworld, a realm where ghosts reside after death. The Netherworld can be accessed from the skies above Gensokyo. Of course, one has to be able to pass through the Boundary of the Netherworld to be able to get in. Much like the Hakurei Boundary around Gensokyo, there is a separate Boundary separating the Netherworld from the mortal plane. Of course, that hasn't stopped people from going in and out of the Netherworld, but then again, not just anyone can access the Netherworld before death.

Within the Netherworld is a vast Asian-styled mansion known as Hakugyokurou, a phrase meaning "Tower of White Jade." Hakugyokurou is surrounded by a wall within all sides, and boasts an impressive garden of sakura trees, a sight that attracts many spirits to it. There is one massive sakura tree that lies dormant within the garden. Few know the truth as to why this giant tree is dormant, yet the others are very much alive.

Outside of the mansion, but within the walls of Hakugyokurou was a girl. She was sitting on her knees. A dying sakura tree was right in front of her. She was short, lacked developed breasts, and petite. She appeared no older than a 12 year old girl, yet in fact was closer to 60 years of age. She wore a white shirt with short poofy sleeves underneath a green button-up dress, one that reached to her thighs. Her dress was adored with the insignias of ghosts along the edges and breast pocket, as well as a white belt around her waist, and a black ribbon on her chest. Her skin was very fair, almost as much as her short silver hair which reached to just above the top of her slender shoulders. A black ribbon was placed off-center on the top of her hair. She wore black shoes with white socks that didn't go very high up her ankles. She carried the sheath of a katana in her left hand. The end of the sheath had a pink flower attached to it, while the handle of the katana was adorned with the insignia of sakura petals. Most curious of all was the white, formless entity floating just above her. It appeared to be a ghost, or maybe a being of magic. It appeared no larger than her head. During this time, her eyes were closed, and her hands rested on her thighs. It appeared as though she was meditating. Suddenly, her sharp midnight blue eyes opened. Within one moment, she had opened her eyes. The next moment, the dying tree was cut in two, toppling down to the earth. The girl, as well as the formless spirit, were several meters ahead. She stood on her feet, with the sheath in her left hand, and her unsheathed katana in her right hand. Amazingly, both instruments were as tall as her, yet she could wield both without encumbrance. Her eyes were straightforward and focused, and her face showed no signs of emotion. At that moment, a voice within the mansion sounded, "Youmu, will you come in for a moment?"

"Coming." responded the girl named Youmu.

She was the servant of the head of Hakugyokurou. She sheathed her blade and entered the mansion, not forgetting to take her shoes off. She proceeded to the nearest kotatsu, thinking she would see her master there. Before she could seat herself at the kotatsu, however, a pair of arms came from behind Youmu and embraced her around the upper waist. A voice quickly greeted, "Hi Youmu!"

"GAH!" Youmu shrieked. She knew who it was, yet couldn't help but be scared anyways. She choked, "Yuyuko-sama, I can't breathe!"

The arms released themselves from Youmu. A woman then stepped in front of, no, _floated_, in front of Youmu. She was wearing a sky blue kimono with white trim and a dark blue sash, as well as a light blue poofy hat with a red ghost symbol on the front. Her hair was wavy, pink, and short, although it was a little longer than Youmu's hair. Her eyes were pink, and her face was relaxed, with a gentle smile. She said, "Why are you so scared of ghosts, Youmu? Aren't you part one yourself?"

Youmu answered, "My physical body can't travel through walls like you. It always scares me how spirits can freely pass through obstacles, yet can make physical contact with someone at the same time."

Yuyuko's eyes were closed, (because characters from Japanese pop culture _always_ close their eyes when they smile. Don't ask me why, I'm just rolling with it.) and her smile was larger, "You don't have to remind me of something I already know!" Her voice was much softer and more pleasant-sounding than Youmu's. She changed the subject, "Let's sit at the kotatsu, shall we? There's something I need to tell you." The two of them now sat with their feet underneath the kotatsu, facing each other. Even when sitting down, Yuyuko was much taller than Youmu.

Perhaps an explanation is in order before we go on. Yuyuko Saigyouji is the so-called "Ghost Princess" of Hakugyokurou. She was once a mortal human that lived in pre-Boundary Gensokyo. She possessed the power to cause death in people by merely wishing it. People feared her for this power, and she despised this power. She ended up committing suicide. Oddly enough, her spiritual form ended up in the Gensokyo Netherworld, where she resides to this day. Youmu Konpaku was her servant. She is a half-human half-ghost, a race of people from the Netherworld. Despite the name, she is not a hybrid between a human and a ghost; she is an entirely separate entity from the two. She is, for the most part, similar to a human, except her spiritual form exists outside of her body. Also, half-human half-ghosts physically age more slowly than humans, but also live longer. She has served as Yuyuko's bodyguard, gardener, and all around servant for several years now. At present, she looked at Yuyuko and inquired, "What is it that you want to tell me?"

Yuyuko elaborated, "I need you to retrieve something from Yukari."

Youmu said. "Certainly. What do you want me to retrieve?"

Yuyuko stated, "You never know if prying ears are about, so . . ." she floated near Youmu and whispered something into her ear. After that, she said aloud, "And ask only her for that. If you try asking Ran or Chen, they won't know what you're talking about; only Yukari will."

Youmu replied, "I understand. However, I have one question; what if Yukari-sama is asleep when I arrive?"

"Then just wait 'til she wakes up!" Yuyuko exclaimed exuberantly. "And when you're there, try smiling more, like this!" Yuyuko grabbed Youmu's cheeks and stretched them in a pseudo smile.

Youmu tried to say, "Let go of me, Yuyuko-sama!"

Yuyuko retorted, "But, the way your face stretches; it's adorable! You're a doll, and a really cute one at that! You should act like one!"

Youmu tried to say something again, "But,"

Yuyuko realized, "Oh, sorry." She let go of Youmu's face. "What were you going to say?"

Youmu said, "Being a 'cute doll' is not befitting for a half-human half-ghost such as myself. I live to serve you, not to be an object that attracts superficial affection from onlookers."

Yuyuko giggled and added, "You're so precocious for your age, you know that? Maybe that's why you're so cute. Now don't get me wrong; I like how you take even the most menial of tasks seriously, but life isn't just about pleasing someone. There are times when you shouldn't be so worrisome, and I think this new task will help you do just that."

Youmu stood up. She said to her mistress, "Very well then, Yuyuko-sama. I'll go perform this errand of yours as soon as I can."

Yuyuko looked disappointed, "Oh, this isn't what I meant when I said smile more! Give me a smile! Be joyous!"

Youmu looked flustered, "Uhh," she formed a smile, and sounded more elated, "Never fear, Yuyuko-sama! I will complete this errand of yours with relish! It would be an upmost honor!"

"That's the spirit!" Yuyuko chimed, "Now, get ready to go before I play with your face again!"

"Yes!" Youmu gathered a few items (spell cards, her wakizashi, some snacks) for the trip. When she was ready, she was near the door, with her shoes back on. She bowed to Yuyuko and said, "Farewell, my mistress." Before standing upright, she grinned and said, "I'll do my best!"

"Goodbye, sweetheart!" Yuyuko replied.

With that, Youmu left Hakugyokurou. She flew over the walls, (since nearly everyone in Gensokyo can fly) and flew down the path that led back into the mortal realm, and found herself in the Gensokyo mainland. The residence of the Yakumo clan was somewhere near the Hakurei Shrine, which isn't far removed from the edge of the Hakurei Boundary. She had been there before, whenever Yuyuko needed something from there. Youmu flew in the direction of the Yakumo household at high speed. She was currently at the base of Youkai Mountain, when something caught her eye, or rather, someone. Someone else was flying through the skies where Youmu was. She got a closer look to see who it was. It was definitely someone she recognized, someone with sharp blue eyes like her. The other person asked, "Youmu Konpaku, I take it?"

Youmu responded, "Sakuya Izayoi, of the house of Scarlet, I presume?" Sakuya's arms were folded across her chest. She was smiling gently, and looking at Youmu as if she were a guest for her mistress that day. Youmu, meanwhile, had both of her hands gripping the hilts of her swords, and was frowning, indeed, staring at Sakuya as if she were an uninvited intruder at the estate. In some ways, Youmu and Sakuya were exactly the same, (both have silver hair, light skin, blue eyes, both are head servants for mistresses, both can move extremely fast, and both use bladed weapons in combat) but in other ways, they were exact opposites, (Youmu was short while Sakuya was tall, Sakuya was elegant and only looked like she was going to kill something if she really meant it, while Youmu almost _always_ looked like she was going to kill something, Sakuya throws her blades, while Youmu uses them in melee) two sides of the same coin, as it were.

Sakuya said, "I was just returning to the manor, so if you'll excuse me,"

"Don't move!" Youmu bellowed. "If you move one more muscle, I will strike you down." Her eyes were staring imaginary daggers through Sakuya.

Sakuya, visibly unshaken by this, asked, "My, why are you being so touchy, today?"

Youmu answered, "We have met several times in the past; in almost every instance, we fought. What makes you think this will be any different?"

Sakuya, still maintaining her composure, replied, "True. We have had our differences, but I have no quarrel with you, today. However, you seem rather . . . obstinate, at the moment. Would having a battle make you feel better?" Youmu said nothing, her eyes still fixed on Sakuya, and her hands still holding the hilts of her swords. Sakuya continued, "You're not answering. Therefore, I'll answer for you; yes, I think having a spar would be good. We'll get some exercise, and maybe clear our heads at the same time. Now then," she drew two knives, one for each hand, "What should the rules be?"

Youmu coolly answered, "We fight with danmaku, _and_ melee attacks. Spell cards will be allowed."

Sakuya happily stated, "Oh, you wanna go all out! Very well then, I shall too, if you so desire." The world started to move in slow motion in Sakuya's point of view. "Your move."

Youmu unsheathed her swords. Her katana was in her right hand, and her wakizashi was in her left. She flew in Sakuya's direction at blinding speed. In Sakuya's slowed-down space, Youmu was moving as fast as she was. The half-ghost girl swung both of her swords in an X pattern where Sakuya was. All of a sudden, the world turned black-and-white, save for the maid. She had teleported (or so it looked) behind Youmu, with a spell card in hand. She said quietly, "Sakuya's World."

There were now dozens of knives surrounding Youmu, all pointed at her. Within an instant, the color of the world had been restored, and all of the knives flew in Youmu's direction. The swordswoman began spinning her swords to deflect the knives out of harm's way. She then flew out of the way of the knives that had started off farther away from her. She knew this spell card; the knives only went through where you were when Sakuya stopped time. Now out of the way of the knives, Youmu's ghost-half started firing ghost-like bullets at the maid. Sakuya responded in kind by throwing numerous knives, her arms moving at an almost inhumanly fast speed. The two flew around, shooting at each other; a few shots hit them here and there, but it wasn't enough to end the mid-air dance of danmaku. Youmu then drew a spell card and chanted, "Soul Sign: Ghostly Wheel of Pain!" Her ghost-half had changed into an identical clone of her physical half, wielding two swords as well.

She charged at Sakuya again, with two bodies this time. She slashed at Sakuya, who moved out of the way, but was then ambushed by Youmu's other body. The maid couldn't attack now, having to use all of her energy just to avoid the two ghost gardeners. Suddenly, an idea crossed her mind. When Youmu's physical half came towards her again, she raised a spell card and chanted, "Time Sign: Sakuya's Specially-made Stopwatch." Specters of the clock in the tower of the Scarlet Mansion surrounded her. Youmu was caught mid-slash in one of the specters; her body was frozen in time.

Sakuya took this opportunity to slash at Youmu's cheek with a knife, knee her in the stomach, and deliver a kick with the heeled end of her shoe to the back of her opponent's head. When the clock specter drifted far enough from Youmu's body, she let out a pained, "GAH!" and twitched herself in every place where she was hit. Her ghostly half had changed back into a small white shapeless entity.

Youmu fell onto the earth, unable to fly in her hurt state. She hit the ground hard, yet wasn't too badly injured. She had a cut on her left cheek, as well as a few bruises, but was still breathing; no broken bones, no ruptured organs. Sakuya flew down to where she was. She was smiling her faint smile again. She said to Youmu, "You shouldn't be so tense all the time, it's bad for your cardiovascular health." She changed the subject, "Well, that was a good fight. It's just the practice I need for tonight, however, I must be on my way now." She performed a curtsy, "Good day, Lady Konpaku." and flew away.

Youmu, under immense strain, managed to get back on her feet, "Ugh. How humiliating." And yet, this was why the spell card system was invented in Gensokyo; no matter how severe the fight was, the loser wouldn't suffer death nor very serious injury. All of a sudden, Youmu started giggling to herself, "You were right, Yuyuko-sama. Ever since the spell cards were put in place, I could lose a fight, and still have my beautiful smile intact!" She then felt the inside of her mouth, touching all of her teeth, "Yep! Still all there!" She then wiped the blood off of her cheek, "Cut's not too bad. I think I'll manage." Afterwards, she took to the skies, flying in the direction of Yukari's house again.

To be continued still.


	6. Part 3 Point 6

Sakuya's duel with Youmu had reminded her of how fast the ghost girl really was. She couldn't dwell on that thought, though; she had to return to the mansion. She made her way back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion . . . and spotted a most unusual sight. When she arrived, it looked like someone was flying away from the mansion at a very high speed. Actually, it wasn't one person; it was two people, riding on the same broomstick. They were girls with blonde hair, one with short hair, and the other with long hair. The short-haired girl shouted, "I _told_ you this was a bad idea!"

The long-haired girl fired back, "What! I didn't see the Chinese girl outside! I thought it'd be easy pickings!"

The short-haired girl yelled, "Easyǃ? Then how come the two of us can't even beat the witch that's always reading books in the libraryǃ?" She then noticed Sakuya flying nearby, "AGH! It's the maid, the one that moves really fast! Get us out of here, already!"

The long-haired girl snapped, "I'm going as fast as I can, da ze!"

Sakuya, unperturbed by this, whispered to herself, "Ladies Marisa and Alice." Her feet touched the ground of the pathway that led into the mansion. She let herself in.

Sakuya found Patchouli and Remilia talking about something mid-conversation. When the maid arrived, Patchouli was saying something like, ". . . The overall catness of me, Koakuma, and a small party of fairy maids was more than enough to drive them out. But to think, _two_ rats came in." A number of fairies dressed like maids were going into the library, most likely to sort out the mess of whatever ensued moments ago.

Remilia spotted the silver-haired woman, "Ah, Sakuya! I trust you found China?"

Sakuya, trying her best not to look disappointed, said, "I did find her, my lady, however, I could not retrieve her."

Remilia did a double-take, "Wait, you could not retrieve her?" Her tone became much sharper, "Explain yourself!"

Sakuya replied, "Meiling has taken up shop at the Moriya shrine. I tried to take her back, but the shrine maiden and gods that reside there threatened to remove me if I did. Not only that, Meiling was more than willing to fight me with all of her strength. I decided not to fight them for the time being, rather, I want to wait until nightfall, so that we could get her together. Meiling assured me that she wasn't going anywhere; tonight is our best bet."

Remilia absorbed this information. She then exclaimed, "This isn't fair! All of a sudden, Meiling abandons us, and everything is going to Hell because of that!" She started talking in a different language, her tone very distraught. Sakuya couldn't understand her, but she guessed it was a European language.

Patchouli looked at Sakuya and stated, "She's saying she's very stressed out, and doesn't know how she'll be able to wait until nightfall."

Sakuya said to Remilia, "I'm sorry if I made you upset."

Remilia said in Nihongo, "No, I'm the one who should be apologizing. If you had fought them all at once and lost, then we wouldn't be able to retrieve her together now, wouldn't we? Besides, it's Little Sis I should be worried about, not me."

And just like that, Flandre ran up and said, "Hey Sis, did you call for me?" She then noticed Sakuya, "Oh hey, Sakuya! Is China back?"

Patchouli intoned, "Not yet. She won't be able to bring her back until nighttime."

Flandre's jaw dropped, "Whatǃ? But I want China back now!" She started running around in circles while shouting, "I want China! I want China! I want China! I want China!"

"ENOUGH!" Remilia yelled. Flandre stopped dead in her tracks. Everyone's eyes were focused on the mistress, "Flandre, if you want to play with someone that badly, just invite some of the fairy maids into the basement."

Flandre puffed her cheeks and muttered, "Oh, alright."

Remilia continued, "Sakuya, my nerves are frayed; make me some tea."

"Will do." Sakuya answered. She went to where the kitchen was.

"And Patchouli," Remilia added, "make sure the library stays orderly. As for me, I need to lie down."

Everyone went their separate ways. Before getting into the basement, Flandre managed to corner three fairy maids and asked with glee, "Hi there! Wanna play with me in the basement?" The fairies became frozen with fear.

* * *

"But before I take off to help the kappa," Suwako glanced at Meiling, "you wanna see a magic trick?"

"Well, since you asked, sure! Amuse me!" Meiling responded.

"Okay!" Suwako then walked, or rather, _hopped_, to where Sanae was standing. Suwako looked at Sanae, and started to stroke her green hair, "Sana-chan, you're so pretty." she said in an affectionate tone of voice.

Sanae grinned nervously, "Suwako, we have a guest!"

Suwako continued, "But, you're just so pretty, I can't help but admire you!"

Sanae was now blushing, "Stop it!" she said, while giggling.

Suwako stopped stroking her hair, and now started embracing her, "Oh Sana-chan! You've matured so beautifully! You're not only a great wind priestress, you're a paragon of loveliness, too!"

"Aww!" Sanae responded, now hugging Suwako in return. After a few seconds, the two let go of each other.

Meiling was dumbfounded, "Um, what was the magic trick?"

Suwako chirped, "Simple! I made the skin on Sana-chan's cheeks turn red!"

Meiling stared at Suwako for a few seconds. She then started snickering. Her snicker gave way to chuckling, and within moments, she was on the ground, laughing hysterically, "I . . . I can't . . . breathe! That was . . . sooooooo . . . FUNNY!"

Kanako's response to all of this? She slammed her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Okay, are you done with your antics yet? Remember to be back for when Meiling's former owner return. Otherwise, we'll be seeing you later."

"Alrighty then!" Suwako said while waving both of her arms. "Bye!" At that moment, her body looked like it sunk into the ground, with only her hat visible on the surface.

Sanae cheered, "We'll miss you!"

As Suwako's hat floated away on the ground, the frog goddess shouted, "I miss you all already!" Within seconds, she had vanished into the distance.

Meiling had a confused look on her face, "Uh, how is she doing that?"

"Earth manipulation," Kanako answered she continued, "Well then, if you're going to stay here, you may as well make yourself useful and help us with some chores."

Meiling stared quizzically, "Chores? But, the maids always did the chores."

* * *

"How is it?" Sakuya asked.

"Very good." Meiling answered, bringing the now-empty teacup down. "However, it's . . . lacking."

"Lacking you say." Sakuya said back. "Let me guess, it's not a Chinese tea, right?"

Meiling responded, "Well, it's not bad, it just, doesn't remind me of home, you see."

"I know," Sakuya said, now smiling, "That's why I prepared ahead of time." A fairy maid appeared, and poured Meiling a glass of green tea.

"Is . . . Is that what I think it is?" Meiling asked, with an astounded look on her face.

"Drink up!" Sakuya commanded.

Meiling drank her serving of tea in one large gulp. She exhaled a sigh of contentment. She then suddenly stood on the table, struck what looked like a martial arts pose, and shouted, "THE TEA OF THE MAINLAND! IT MAKES MY HEART QUIVER WITH JOY!"

Sakuya giggled and stated, "I take it you like it."

* * *

"Yes, but we have no maids here; this is a shrine, not a fancy mansion, and if you're going to stay here, you can't be dead weight." Kanako responded.

Meiling sighed, "Okay, what is it you want?"

"Simple!" Kanako commanded, "Go down to the river and fetch us some water." She then presented an object, "You've seen this, right? Two buckets held together by a long stick? It'll make it easier to transport."

Meilng complained, "But, we always got our water from the lake!"

Kanako stated, "We're not near a lake, and most of this island lacks plumbing of any sort. Sana-chan normally does the water gathering, since I can't stray very far from the shrine, but you seem like a strong, able-bodied woman; so prove yourself! You can see the river from here, right?"

Meiling took the buckets and answered, "_Fine._" She went and completed her arduous task. When she got back she asked, "Is that all for now?"

Kanako smiled and replied, "Yes! That was splendid! You are free for the time being."

Meiling sighed a sigh of relief. She began stretching her arms and legs in order to soothe her sore muscles. "Now's a good time to brush up on my tai chi chuan."

* * *

It was late morning one day outside of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Meiling was standing guard at the gate once more. However, she wasn't idle; she was practicing one of her martial art disciplines, one that involved slow, soft movement. She kept on doing until this, until a youthful voice asked, "What's that you're doing?"

Meiling then noticed the mistress' sister, "Oh hi, Flandre! I'm performing tai chi chuan. It's a way to keep my body in good shape."

Flandre looked excited and shouted, "That looks like fun! Can I do it too?"

Meiling responded, "Uh, sure. Just try to imitate my movements."

"Okay!" Flandre then tried her best to mimic Meiling's movements.

"By the way," Meiling started, "What are you doing outside of the mansion? Didn't Lady Remilia forbid you to leave the mansion?"

"Nope! I can leave the house; I just can't leave the island. I dunno why Sis doesn't want me going anywhere. Oh well. Being here is fun enough for me!" She continued imitating Meiling's routine for a few minutes. After a while, Flandre started wheezing. She couldn't keep up with Meiling anymore. She breathed, "China, I'm, getting, sleepy."

Meiling turned around and saw Flandre, her body fast asleep on the ground. She looked panicked, "The sunlight! She's been out too long!" She then picked her up and carried her piggyback style. "Guess I better put her back in."

Meiling went back into the mansion carrying the blonde vampire, until she became accosted by the blue-haired vampire, "Would you kindly explain what you are doing to my sister?" Her eyes did not look happy.

Meiling chuckled, "Oh, heh! She just came outside and started doing tai chi chuan with me. I guess she forgot the sun was out, and she passed out."

"Is that so?" Remilia asked. "In that case, leave her in the basement. I'll deal with her later." Meiling exhaled a sigh of relief.

* * *

Meiling was thinking during her exercise. _If I stay here, it'll be a lot more work. And even though the girls at the mansion were mean to me, they weren't all that bad. Wait, what am I thinking_ǃ_? Whenever the Scarlets needed blood, I was usually the first person they'd get blood from! Still, Sakuya had the courtesy to draw my blood out with a needle, so I didn't have to get bit. And it's luck that the Scarlets can go for so long with such little blood. Now that I think about it, that mansion of theirs is really cool._

These thoughts filled her mind as she exercised. After a while, she paused for a break. Sanae came up to her, "Thanks for bringing us more water! I tell you, people in the outside world really take plumbing for granted."

Meiling nodded, "Plumbing? You mean like how in the mansion there are places where you can draw out water whenever you want?" _Why am I thinking about the mansion again_ǃ_?_

Sanae said, "Yeah! We're doing everything we can to modernize the shrine, but until we get a steady supply of electricity, that won't happen anytime soon." She then sat down at the steps of the shrine, "Although I've come to accept my life here in Gensokyo, there are some things from the outside world I still miss."

Meiling added, "Yeah, I know what you mean. There are some upsides here; for instance, no one ostracizes me for being a strong woman. However, because of that barrier, it's hard to bring in new things from the outside world." She then sported a grin, "Although there were some fairy maids who would raid libraries in the outside world in order to further add to Patchouli's library. That might sound unethical to whomever's library got raided, but because of that, Patchy's library always had new books. She even had classic manga!"

Sanae eyes widened, "Wait; mangaǃ? Your former mistress has access to mangaǃ?"

Meiling stood proud, "Oh yes, it's true! How else could I read about the Divine Fist of the North Starǃ?"

Sanae turned to Kanako, "Kanako-sama, you told me that no one in Gensokyo would get anything that happened after the Meiji Period, yet Hong Meiling does!"

Kanako shrugged, "Well, I guess I was wrong."

* * *

"So, how was it?" Patchouli asked whilst reading a large tome at the same time.

Meiling exclaimed, "It was great! The bad guys were like, 'we're gonna kill you!' But the good guy was like, 'WA TA TA TA TA TA TA!' And the bad guys were like, 'is that the best you can doǃ?' but they hadn't even realized that they were already dead!"

Patchouli turned a page, "Really. And I take it you wanna read another manga now? Feel free to. But keep in mind, reading manga is hardly intellectually stimulating. They compensate their lack of words with silly pictures."

Meiling frowned and voiced, "Oh really? You realize that most of your books aren't printed in my first language, right? So manga books are easier for me to read." She then asked, "Besides, what are _your_ favorite manga? I see you reading them occasionally, you hypocritical intellect."

Patchouli, completely unperturbed, said, "There is this one series I enjoy. The name of it escapes me, but it was about a healer who must track down a serial killer in Europe. I found it highly engaging. You wouldn't like it though; not enough fight scenes for you."

"Hmpf!" Meiling sounded. "Then I'll just get whatever I want again!"

She went to where the manga were collected. A girl with bat wings and red hair was nearby. She said, "Oh! Meiling! Nice to see you again!"

Meiling said, "Koakuma, we're the only people in the house with red hair and tan skin; we've got to stick together!"

Koakuma answered, "But that's silly! Why would you place so much importance on the color of your skin and hair? You know those things are trivial at best."

Meiling replied, "Yeah, you're right."

* * *

"Oh, I see." Sanae said. "Maybe I should go there sometime and see if they have any Ah Megami-sama manga. I haven't been able to read that for years now!"

Meiling suddenly shouted, "Wait! You can't do that! The Scarlets, they're bad people! They won't let you read any of their books! They always try to kill the witch who always tries to read their books! I'm sure they'd do the same to you if you tried!"

"Not if I ask nicely!" Sanae added.

The day went on without incident, until it became dusk. Meiling was on the porch of the shrine, taking what she called a "Power Nap." Kanako approached Meiling, "Say Hong Meiling, how long were you serving the Scarlets? You've been with them before we came here."

Meiling let out a yawn and answered with her eyes half-closed, "A pretty long time. I was serving them when they still lived in the outside world. I can't remember how I came to serve them, but it's been a pretty long time."

* * *

Meiling was in Remilia's quiet room. This was a room isolated from the rest of the mansion, where the mistress would go to unwind. It was rare for her to invite someone into the quiet room with her, especially Meiling. The red-haired youkai asked, "Lady Remilia, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Remilia stated, "You've been preparing for our eventual relocation into Gensokyo, correct?"

Meiling shouted, "Of course! I've been studying up on the place since you decided to move! I even taught myself a little Japanese!"

Remilia corrected, "It's called 'Nihongo' over there; you're going to have to try a little harder than that."

Meiling asserted, "I know! I'll have everything figured out by then!" Suddenly, her tone became apologetic, "I'm sorry for letting that intruder in."

Remilia said, "Who? The woman who invited us into Gensokyo? Don't feel sorry, Hong Meiling; she would've gotten in regardless of what you did, or even if you were outside at all."

"R-Really?" Meiling questioned.

"Of course. That woman's strength was beyond anything I've ever seen; not even Flandre could defeat her. If all she wanted was to invite us into her youkai sanctuary, she could've made a more tactful entrance. But I digress. What I'm saying is, it's not your fault. There are some things that are fated to happen; that was one of them. No force on Earth could've prevented that. And no matter what happens once we get there, I just want you to know that you're the best door guard I've ever had."

"R-Reallyǃ?" Meiling was astonished, "You're not just saying that to score brownie points with me, are you?"

"Certainly not. I'm being absolutely truthful. Every door guard we've had before you was dreadful; you, on the other hand, actually scare away unwanted visitors."

"Thank you, Lady Remilia!" Meiling said, while saluting. "Oh hey! I just remembered something! That woman who wants us to live in Gensokyo, and even says she can teleport us there, mansion and all? I remembered her first name!"

"That's _given_ name, Meiling. Their naming order is different from ours."

"Oh, right. I just remembered, her _given_ name is the Japanese word for violet! See, I can speak the language already!"

* * *

Meiling stood up with fire in her eyes, "You're right! I don't belong here! The Scarlet Devil Mansion is my home! I gotta return like right now!" She turned and dashed with all of her might.

Kanako said to Sanae, "You see, Sana-chan? You don't need brute force to drive out an unwelcome guest; sometimes, you just gotta play with their minds."

Sanae contradicted, "But wait, since when was she unwelcome?"

* * *

The sun was setting. Remilia and Sakuya were preparing for their retrieval effort. Remilia breathed, "Now I can get this over with. I hope China cooperates this time, now that I'm coming for her. I'll make her pay for what she,"

Right then, the mansion doors swung open. A familiar figure came running to Remilia. She was a tall woman, with tears in her eyes. She suddenly embraced Remilia, "I'm so sorry!" She choked through her tears.

Sakuya was caught off-guard, "Huh? China? You,"

"I'm so sorry!" Meiling said, while hugging Sakuya. She then ran off towards the library.

"Sakuya."

"Yes, my lady?"

"Cancel my excursion, and prepare me some crumpets."

"Right away."

In the library, Patchouli was busy reading a tome of some sort. Even when the library doors swung open, she did not budge an inch. Her eyes did widen when a red-haired woman threw her arms around her and said with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry!"

Patchouli glanced at Meiling, who was now running away in the opposite direction, "Next time, scare away the rats _before_ you run off."

Meiling had now cornered Koakuma, who she then embraced and said, "I'm so sorry!" before running off. Koakuma couldn't come up with anything to say.

In the basement was a most dazzling display of danmaku. Several fairy maids were flying to avoid the shots whilst stricken with panic. The shots were coming from Flandre, who stopped firing for a moment to reach for a spellcard, "Get ready, cuz here comes a _big one!_"

Before she could activate her spellcard, Meiling hugged her from behind and shouted, "I'm so sorry!" with tears in her eyes.

The door guard ran out. Flandre cried out, "Hey, no fair! You sneak attacked me, China!" Upon realizing who it was, she shouted exuberantly, "CHINA!"

Meiling was now back to where Remilia was. The door guard got down on her knees and begged, "I'm so sorry for leaving you, my lady! Please take me back! PLEASE!"

Remilia, looking nonchalant, calmly replied, "I hate to admit it, but I think Patchy was right; we've been too mean to you lately. The truth is, you're our only door guard, but first, get up from the ground. You look silly on your knees like that."

Meiling rose and started speaking with her tears fading away, "So, there's nothing wrong with the way I talk? There's nothing wrong with my appearance? There's nothing wrong with loving Chinese tea?"

Remilia continued, "You pick up on languages better than most humans I've met, you don't look that out of place here, and I love Chinese tea too. Feel free to stay, so long as you don't disobey me."

Meiling fell down dramatically, like she was fainting. "I am most grateful, Lady Remilia."


	7. Part 3 Point 9

Youmu had reached the Yakumo Clan's house. It was an Asian mansion similar to the one she shared with Yuyuko, except that this house was situated . . . actually, the exact coordinates are not known, but it's somewhere not far from the Hakurei Shrine. Youmu stepped on the front porch, looking to see if anyone was around. Seeing that no one was in sight, she let herself in. After taking off her black mary janes at the entrance, she called out, "Hello. I'm here on behalf of Yuyuko-sama."

Right then, the sound of scampering feet could be heard. Someone had come running to the half-ghost. This someone actually got right next to her, seeing her eye-to-eye, "Oh hey, Youmu! You're still as little as me!" Said the rambunctious little girl. She was wearing a red-and-white dress, as well as a green mop hat. Her ears were like a cat's, and stuck out prominently over her short auburn hair. Just then, her brown eyes focused more on Youmu, "Uh oh! Did you get hurt on your way here?"

"Uh, yes," Youmu responded. "I got in a spar; I didn't win."

"That's too bad!" the catlike girl said. "Well, hopefully you'll get better."

A voice called out, "Who is it, Chen?"

The girl named Chen shouted, "It's just Youmu. We can let her in, right?"

"Of course!" Said the fox youkai who just entered Youmu's eyesight. She was wearing a dress that was white on the sides and blue down the center. She had a pink two-tailed hat over her short blond hair. Her nine foxtails were visible behind her. She continued, "Anyone who's a friend of Yukari's is welcome here!"

"Thank you, Ran-san and Chen-chan." Youmu replied. "Is Yukari-sama here?"

"Why yes," Ran answered, "But she's doing her usual routine right now." By that, she meant that Yukari was asleep.

Youmu had heard from Yuyuko that Yukari was the deepest sleeper in all of Gensokyo. She knew, for instance, that she, Chen, and Ran could speak in loud voices without disturbing the head of the Yakumo Clan. However, she was curious as to just how deep of a sleeper she really is. "Ran-san, I need to speak with Yukari-sama about something, but I want to ask you; how hard is it to wake her up?"

Ran replied, "I only know one way to wake her; with the full force of a long, sustained danmaku barrage, an entire spellcard's worth in modern terms. Other than that, nothing; not loud noises, not poking her, nothing." Ran then noticed, "Say, did you get in a fight with someone?"

Youmu said, "Yes, I got in a duel with someone on the way here, but I lost."

"Who did you fight, if I may ask?"

"Sakuya Izayoi, you know, the maid from the Scarlet Mansion?"

Ran replied, "Hmm, don't think I know her. Well, better luck next time."

Youmu then looked nervous, "Say, Ran-san," she paused, "Umm, about Yukari-sama . . . is what you said true? That she's really hard to wake up?"

Ran said, "I've known her for most of my life; I know for a fact that practically nothing can wake her up."

Youmu stated, "Really? I wanna test that for myself. Can I see her?"

Ran answered, "Uh, sure. But this isn't like you."

Youmu said, "Yuyuko-sama said I should try new things." She then sported a slight grin, "And I've never seen a sleeping Yukari." She walked off.

"Whatever you do, don't kidnap her."

Youmu made her way to the most important room in the house; Yukari's bedroom. She slid open the door and entered. She saw Yukari sleeping in her bed on the ground. Everything below her neck was invisible due to the bedsheets covering her. She was not wearing a hat of any kind, and her blonde hair was stretched out past the pillow, lying on the ground. Youmu greeted, "Hello, Yukari-sama. I see you let your hair grow out again." She paused to observe the youkai; her breathing was very slow yet steady, inhaling and exhaling through her nostrils. "I wish I had hair like yours. My hair can't grow that long, but I shouldn't complain, since this hairstyle of mine is more suited for close combat." She then reached very slowly with her hand, and touched Yukari's cheek. Nothing happened. She then became more daring; she reached for Yukari's eyelid and opened it by force. She saw a purple eye staring off into space before closing the eyelid. Still nothing. Youmu then threw all of the bed sheets off. She was used to seeing Yukari wearing her fanciful European clothing that made her the envy of fashion-conscious Gensokyans, but right now, all she wore were simple white pajamas. She grabbed Yukari's shoulder and shook her, "WAKE UP YUKARI-SAMA! THERE IS A SERIOUSLY UNPRECEDENTED AFFAIR THAT WE MUST ADDRESS!" Still nothing. However, this last action had drawn Youmu close to the blonde woman's chest, "Huh. Your bosoms feel a lot like Yuyuko-sama's." Even after all of this, her breathing remained steady. "Well then, I'll just have to resort to a tactic that Yuyuko-sama has used on me." She saw that Yukari's feet were bare, and then proceeded to tickle the bottoms of her feet with her fingernails. No reaction. Youmu gave out a sigh, "I don't want to hurt you, so I guess that means Ran-san was right; nothing really can wake you."

Youmu went back to Ran. The fox woman asked, "Still sleeping like a log?"

Youmu looked distraught, "If I didn't know any better, I would think that Yukari-sama was comatose. Are all youkai like this?"

Ran snickered, "No. Yukari's a special case." She changed her train of thought, "Well, since you're here, would you like me to treat you to anything?"

Youmu thought for a moment, "Umm, how about some iced water?"

Ran smiled, "Sure! Come sit at the kitchen counter while you're waiting." The half-ghost proceeded to a chair near the kitchen counter. It was in this kitchen that one could observe that the Yakumo family had installed a number of strange devices from the outside world, things such as a "refrigerator", a "water faucet", a "dishwasher", a "stove", and a "microwave", all of which was powered by something called a "solar battery." They were all very foreign concepts to Youmu, strange devices that seemed to work almost like magic. Ran then handed Youmu a glass of ice water, "There ya go!"

Youmu thanked the fox youkai and had a drink. A few moments later, a great noise caught the attention of everyone in the household; a loud, drawn-out yawn coming from Yukari's bedroom. "Oh! She's up early again! Lucky you, Youmu!"

And then, she lumbered in, not in one of her fancy dresses, not wearing any of her elbow length gloves, no high-heeled shoes on, no parasol in hand, no ribbons in her hair, no hat for that matter either, and a few frizzled strands of yellow hair here-and-there. It was a Yukari that Youmu wasn't used to seeing. The sleepy youkai was still in her pajamas, with one eye closed and the other half-open. She lumbered her way to the kitchen, and then stopped. She slurred, "Chen, I told you not to play with my bed when I'm sleeping."

Chen, who was in the other room playing mah jong, shouted, "But I didn't do anything! I've been playing with the mah jong tiles for the last half hour! Honest!"

Yukari then mumbled, "Ran, there's an intruder in the house. Chase her out."

Ran corrected, "Youmu's here on behalf of Yuyuko. Said she has important business with you."

Youmu stood up, "That's right, and I was the one who threw open your bed sheets. I was curious to see just how deep of a sleeper you are. Chen-chan was not at fault." She bowed, "Please forgive me."

Yukari let out a soft giggle, "You call her Chen-chan, that's funny." She seated herself near the counter, "You realize how old-fashioned you are by referring to _everyone_ with titles of honor?"

Youmu was about to say _forgive me Yukari-sama, it's just the way I've been raised,_ but remembering what Yuyuko had told her, Youmu actually said, "It's my way of conveying respect to people, and I like conveying respect to people who deserve it." She formed a noticeable smirk, "Doing so makes me happy."

Yukari then slurred, "Okay then, so what was it that you wanted to do?"

Youmu went back to her usual serious tone, "I actually can only tell you when no one is around. You'll have to excuse Ran and Chen if you want to hear more."

"Uh huh." Yukari breathed. Suddenly, she noticed, "Wait! You didn't say Chen-_chan_ and Ran-_san!_ Are you saying you don't like themǃ?"

Youmu replied, "Oh no, quite the contrary. It's just that Yuyuko wants me to, how would she put it? Loosen up? Yeah, I think I understand now. It's much easier to conduct business when I'm not worried about keeping up appearances."

Yukari muttered, "Whatever." She raised her voice, "Ran, Chen, you heard the guest; we have to be alone right now. Why don't you both go fairy hunting or something?"

Chen protested, "But I haven't finished playing my game of mah jong yet!"

Ran comforted her, "It's okay. The tiles will still be exactly where they are when we get back. Now then, do you feel like going to the Forest of Magic? That's full of fairies for us to play with!"

Chen pouted, "Oh, _alright._" And the two of them left the mansion.

Yukari said, "Okay, what is it that's so important?"

Youmu spoke, "Yuyuko wants you to return 'the hairclip' to her."

Yukari's eyes became more open, and her face was a confused one. "Huh? The hairclip? She remembered that after all of these centuries?"

Youmu stuttered, "Uh, I hope that's not too extreme of a request! Yuyuko-sama wouldn't really give me the,"

"It's all right." Yukari interrupted, "Yes, I can give her back her gift." Just then, she reached into the air with her right arm outstretched. A gap formed at the end of her arm, engulfing her hand. She then pulled out what looked like a tiny wooden jewelry box out of the gap. She presented it to Youmu and opened it. Inside was a light brown hairclip with kanji hand-painted with black ink, "This was something she gave me long before you were ever born, before Gensokyo was separated from the outside world even." She closed the box, "She must've figured that I wouldn't want this anymore. You can have it; just don't lose or break the contents within, or else," she displayed a menacing grin, "There will be Hell to pay."

Youmu looked nervous; she couldn't tell if she was teasing her, or if she was being dead serious. She took the box and said plainly, "Thank you very much. I'll keep an eye on it."

Yukari droned, "Anything else you needed from me?"

Youmu answered, "No, that's all. It was nice seeing you again, Yukari."

Yukari intoned, "Huh, never heard you say that before. Whatever that pink-haired woman's doing, it must be quite devious." She let out a yawn, "Well then, if that's all you need, you can let yourself out whenever you want. I'm going back to sleep." After she said that, she fell out of her chair and into a gap she formed beneath her before hitting the floor.

Youmu heard a _thud!_ in the direction of Yukari's bedroom. Satisfied, she left the mansion. She felt apprehensive flying back to the underworld; Yukari's words stung in her memory, _or else there will be Hell to pay._ "No, I mustn't worry about such things. Think happy thoughts." she said aloud. Luckily for her, she got back to Hakugyokurou without incident. She made her way into the mansion, not forgetting to slip off her shoes, "Yuyuko-sama, I'm home!" she announced.

The pink-haired princess floated in front of Youmu, "Welcome back! Did you get what I asked for?" she asked, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Uh huh!" Youmu replied, before a look of curiosity crossed her face, "But I must ask; what is so significant about this?" She took out the jewelry box, which Yuyuko promptly grabbed.

"Oh! Is it still intact?" She opened it, and held the hairclip in her hand, "It's just as I remembered it!" She then quickly placed the clip on the left side of her face, "And it still fits like a charm!"

"Uh, Yuyuko, you're evading the question. And . . . are you even wearing that correctly?" Youmu pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yuyuko said, looking embarrassed, "This was something Yukari gave me when I was still a mortal . . . or was it the other way around? Well somehow, it ended up in my possession after I came back as a ghost, but I forgot what it was, so I gave it back to her, not realizing it was her gift . . . or my gift. Hmm, where did that come from originally? Well, since the incident with the Saigyou Ayakashi, I remembered what this meant to me, but only now did I finally get around to getting this back."

Youmu summarized, "So this hairclip is a symbol of your friendship with Yukari, huh? You've known each other for such a long time; it's almost unfathomable."

Yuyuko stated, "Yes, indeed. I'll say this right now; Yukari is responsible for just about everything in this paradise we call Gensokyo. She is like the lead performer of an opera, leading the audience and supporting cast ahead to wherever she sees fit." She then smiled with her eyes closed, "But I'm sure you already knew that! Now then, have you been taking my advice?"

Youmu shouted with a smile, "Why yes! There's much to be enjoyed in life! And also, although it feels weird in doing so, addressing people with_out_ a title of honor does not bring about terrible things!"

"Yes! It worked!" Yuyuko threw her arms up in the air. "Now we must celebrate! Let us dance, Youmu; dance through the air!" She grabbed Youmu's arms and, seeing that the entrance door was still open, flew outside with Youmu in hand.

"Waaaaaagh! Yuyuko-sama, what are you doingǃ?" Youmu protested.

Yuyuko ignored her servant, flying randomly about through the sakura trees. She then eventually commented, "Your hands are just too soft, Youmu!"

* * *

Night had fallen once again in Gensokyo. At the Moriya Shrine, Sanae and Kanako were indoors, basking in the light of some candles, since, like the wind priestess pointed out earlier, there's no electricity in most of Gensokyo. All was peaceful, until an excitable burst of energy dashed through the front entrance, "Alright ladies! I'm ready to kick vampire butt! Just point the way and I'll," she interrupted herself, "Hey, where's Hong Meiling?"

Kanako told Suwako, "Oh, her. I persuaded her to return to her mansion."

Sanae added with disgust, "Yeah, by persuaded, you mean tricked her!"

Kanako feigned surprise, "Tricked her? Why do you say that?"

Suwako interrupted, "So wait, I gave up the amenities of the shrine for half-a-day, only to find that not only has our guest left already, but that I have no one to duel withǃ? THIS IS HIGHLY UNACCEPTABLE!" The tenor of her voice could've shattered someone's eardrum.

Sanae broke in, "Hey, calm down, Suwako-sama! You don't have to fight anyone now! And the shrine's open to you again! You should be happy!"

"BUT I'M NOT HAPPY!" She held out her hands towards the sky and started randomly shooting danmaku shots. "WAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The danmaku was short-lived, for Suwako was tackled by Sanae and Kanako simultaneously. "Stop being so childish for once, Suwako! We're all here now; we should be happy!" Kanako exclaimed.

There was an awkward pause. Suwako then shouted, "Yeah! Let's celebrate, by dueling with each other!" She jumped back, ready to fire more danmaku.

"Oh, you're impossible!" Kanako retorted. "Well, might as well enjoy myself." She and Sanae readied their spellcards.


	8. Part 4

Hello, dear readers. This is Aya Shameimaru filling in. One day, I happened to chance by the delivery route of the paper penned by my associate Hatate Himekaidou. I came across a series of articles that detailed strange, yet normal happenings involving the more popular of Gensokyans. Well of course I would read them; I gave her permission to quote part of an article I wrote during the time set during one of her pieces. However, I have decided to step in because I have found a number of grievous errors involving Hatate's knowledge of Gensokyo.

For one thing, Yukari can fly, but she doesn't need her umbrella to fly. I'm guessing Hatate probably assumed this since Yukari never leaves her house without it, and there is a popular folk tale in the outside world about a woman that can fly with a magic umbrella, what was that called again? Well yeah. Yukari can shoot danmaku out of that umbrella, and believe me when I say that it hurts to get whacked from that, but Yukari, like most Gensokyans, can fly just by thinking she can fly.

Also, again involving Yukari, she got a detail about her hair wrong. Yukari, as long as I've known her, always keeps her hair long. Sometimes, she bunches her hair beneath her hat, making it _look_ like she cut her hair short, but that is just to trick rookie Tengu like Hatate.

Also, there is an error in Hatate's article about Eientei. Some of it is accurate; it is correct that, of all the Lunarians living there, Eirin is the one that, how should I put this? She's the Lunarian that "wears the pants", which is ironic, considering the only person in the Bamboo Forest that even wears any actual pants is Mokou, but I digress. But the major research failure comes from Hatate's impression of Tewi. She depicts Tewi as the leader of the Earth rabbits (this is true), but at a lower standing than all of the non-rabbits. Heh heh heh heh! That's exactly what Tewi _wants_ people to think! Hatate fell for her lies hook, line, and sinker! (See? I can print English language idioms, too.) Tewi is actually much more influential than she appears to be. The reason Eientei was even built where it stands was because Tewi gave Kaguya and Eirin permission to settle in the Bamboo Forest, but they must follow _her_ rules, or else she and her army of rabbits could have them forcibly removed. All at the same time, she tries to behave like all of the other Earth rabbits, so people don't think she's all that important. I'll bet Reisen and the Watatsuki Princess Sisters probably think the same thing about her.

And another error, again concerning hairstyles. Flandre's hair is like her sister's, except she has a ponytail going down her left side, unlike Remilia. Birds, including crow Tengu, are renowned for their exceptional eyesight, but there are always exceptions to that rule, and I fear that Hatate may be one of those exceptions.

And lastly, one last thing, something concerning Alice Margatroid. Hatate claims that she traveled to Eientei carrying her personal grimoire. I can neither confirm nor deny this. Alice brags about being able to defeat people using only 2/7 of her full potential. The only way she can use her full power as a magician is to recite the words printed in her grimoire. She has been observed using her grimoire exactly once in this manner, and that was several years ago. It's possible she may have been carrying it around for good luck, or maybe to scare local youkai. Either that, or she was just carrying an ordinary spellbook, and Hatate exaggerated that detail for dramatic effect; I wouldn't put her above such a thing.

However, we have decided to pool our talents and resources together to tell a recent tale that we believe will intrigue the reader, if not outright exhilarate them. This tale will take more than one printed article to finish, but if you wait long enough, and warmly enough, you will be rewarded. Here now is a new tale involving the residents in and around Gensokyo.

* * *

Beneath Gensokyo, there is Hell. Sure, there is the region known as Makai, but there is another Hell, one that wasn't created and managed by Shinki, the ruler of Makai. In this other Gensokyo Hell, no one really rules it, however, there is one region that has a certified mistress, and that would be Chireiden, otherwise known as the Palace of the Earth Spirits.

Chireiden is a European-style mansion filled with many stained glass windows. What is interesting to note is that Chireiden is built over a magma pit that became separated from Hell, a pit called the Hell of Blazing Fires. The mansion, of course, is not abandoned. Two youkai live here, as well as numerous animals and animal-like youkai.

The mistress of Chireiden is Satori Komeiji. She is a human-like youkai who is normally wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt over a pink dress. Her shirt is adorned with yellow hearts, and there is what looks like a heart with an eyeball on her chest, one that is attached to her with thin red cords that run around her body. She wears a thin black hairband in her short pink hair, and her eyes are also pink. What makes her special is that she can read the minds of almost all living creatures: human, youkai, animal, you name it. Humans and youkai feared her and despised her for this, but animals adored her, for she could understand them despite their lack of linguistics. Perhaps not coincidentally, she has adopted many animals for company. Her mind-reading power is thanks to what is called her "Third Eye," the device hanging over her chest with cords. It is with this that she can "see" into the minds of others. It is a great power to have, and an unfortunate one at the same time.

At this moment in time, Satori was lounging on a rocking chair situated on an open balcony overlooking the region just outside of Chireiden. A bird came flying to Satori, a black raven wearing a green bow on the top of its head. Satori held out her right arm for the raven to perch on. Satori's third eye read the raven's mind, "Mistress, I have searched and searched, and I cannot find Koishi anywhere."

Satori let out a sigh, "She must be on the surface again; she really does have a mind of her own." She then commanded, "You're more familiar with the surface than I am; go up there and bring back Koishi."

The raven thought aloud, "I'm all for finding the young mistress, but she could be anywhere; I could be searching for her for hours, even days!"

Satori remarked, "I know. You may not be around to incinerate corpses, but you're hardly the only creature who can do that; I have substitutes that can fill in for you. Go to the surface and look for her, for there is something I need to ask her."

The raven thought aloud again, "Fine. If you want her back that badly, then I'll go." She started to fly away, still thinking to herself, "Why do I have to do this? Is Madam Satori _that_ lazy? Why is she so scared of the surface, anyway? Why does she keep making me do her dirty work? It sucks!"

Satori, hearing those private thoughts, reminded the flying raven, "I _heard_ that, Okuu."

"DANG IT!"


	9. Part 4 Point 5

Reimu remembered something she heard about crossing into the Netherworld. She couldn't remember who said it, but someone once told her, "Only three kinds of people can cross the Netherworld's Boundary while still retaining her life: someone really powerful, someone who knows that that particular Boundary can be avoided via flight, or someone absolutely insane." She remembered the incident with the stolen essence of Spring, and how she (someone inheriting the awe-inspiring power of the Hakurei clan), Sakuya (Someone smart enough to fly around the boundary) and Marisa (who also flew past it, but whose sanity remains questionable) gained access. A strange request had come to her shrine earlier that day; a letter from the Ghost Princess, asking for her help in exorcising something. The letter had left her dumbfounded, to be sure. Since when did Yuyuko ever ask her for help? Well regardless, if Yuyuko was in need, Reimu wasn't going to turn her down. She let herself in and took her shoes off. "I'm here." She announced.

A voice sounded, "Oh! So good of you to come, Reimu! Come in! Let's chat by the kotatsu!"

Reimu came in and saw a pink-haired woman in a blue kimono that sat with her feet underneath a kotatsu. She sat herself directly across from her, "So, why do you need my help?" She asks.

Yuyuko, sporting a non-descript smile, replied, "Not wasting anytime, are you? Well, first of all, let me ask you something; what do you think of Youmu?"

Reimu clarified, "Youmu? As in your servant?"

"Uh huh!"

"Well, I would say she's deadly taciturn, and one of the more dangerous opponents I have fought, although she can hold down pretty interesting conversations during tea parties, if entirely humorless conversations on her part."

"Hmm, I would expect such a reaction from you, but you see, you don't know her like I do." Yuyuko reassured, "Although she may not look it, Youmu is very sweet. She's always been very considerate of what I want, and, well, she still is sweet, but,"

Her voice trailed off when a youthful girl walked into the room. Reimu recognized her as Youmu, but . . . was she, _smiling?_ The half-ghost said chirpily, "I heard the door open, Yuko-tan, so I thought maybe someone," she stopped and glanced at Reimu. Her eyes lit up, "Rei-chan? Is that youǃ?" She radiated happiness, "Oh my gosh, it is! Why didn't you tell me you were coming overǃ?" Before Reimu could say anything, she had been glomped by the half-ghost, "Cute shrine maiden is cute!"

"GAAAAAH!" Reimu instinctively screamed. "You can't charge me like that without an official declaration of a duel!"

Youmu let go of Reimu, "Huh? I don't wanna fight! I just wanna snuggle cute girls! Is that so wrong, Rei-chanǃ?"

Reimu's mind was dumbfounded by the Youmu in front of her, "Okay, first of all, this isn't like you. Second of all, no one calls me 'Rei-chan,' and third,"

"Really? No one calls you Rei-chan? Not even your family?" Youmu inquisitively asked.

Reimu's tone became frustrated, "All of my blood relatives call me Reimu. And now I understand why Yuyuko invited me here." Her eyes shifted toward Yuyuko, "I see what your problem is."

Yuyuko said, "Since Youmu's spirit exists outside of her body, I've always been fearful of her body being possessed by a rogue spirit, so I think that's what happened."

Youmu blurted out, "Yuka-rin came by not too long ago; she said she liked the new me! Oh, and I gotta give her credit, I didn't make up 'cute shrine maiden is cute,' she did. She said something like that, and I just giggled so much!" She then giggled, "She learns the strangest things! It must be cool to be able to see the outside world!"

Yuyuko added, "I tried asking 'Yukarin' what she thought of Youmu; she didn't say much, other than she had mutated into-have you heard of this phrase, Reimu? That Youmu had turned into a 'Mo Ay Bu Ra Bu.'"

"Can't say I have. It must be another one of her foreign words." Reimu asked, "So Yukari couldn't, or didn't help you, but you want me to?"

Yuyuko answered, "Yes, if you could. I do want Youmu to tend to the gardens sometime today, since she just won't cooperate. She looks like a 12 year old human girl, and she's certainly behaving like one, too."

Youmu got agitated by that last comment, "Hey, that's not fair, Yuko-tan! You don't have to treat me like a little kid! I'm almost three times older than Rei-chan!"

Reimu, after absorbing the information she heard, stated, "Well then, it seems we have three possibilities. One, it's like you said, a spirit possessed Youmu's human-half. Two, this isn't the real Youmu, but an imposter. Three, someone, or some_thing_, is manipulating Youmu's mind."

* * *

"Oh crap! She's onto us!"

* * *

Yuyuko gazed away from everyone, trying to formulate a response, "Well I don't think it's the second possibility; I've met many half-ghosts in my time, but none of them were as adorable as Youmu here."

"Aww~!"

"And I would know if an impersonator was within my ranks. I know much about Youmu, for I am the closest thing she has to a mother figure. I even know full well what she looks like with her clothes off!"

Reimu's eyes looked quizzical. Youmu blushed, "Don't tell her that, Yuko-tan! Don't make her think you're a perv!"

Reimu pointed out, "That doesn't sound so unusual. I've used the hot springs in the village with my mom and aunt in the past, so I wouldn't be surprised if you've done something similar."

Yuyuko smiled, "See? She understands! There's no reason to be ashamed of your body!"

Youmu, still blushing, looked away while touching her index fingers together, "But still, I don't want a guest to picture me like that!"

Yuyuko continued, "So it would seem that either my guess is correct, or your theory about mind control is correct, but who would do something like that to her?"

Reimu answered, "I'm not sure about the first one, since any random spirit could control her. However, there is someone who may be responsible for the second theory, as well as someone responsible for the third theory. Well, there's one way to find out." She then suddenly flew in Youmu's direction and pinned her down to the ground by her shoulders. The girl screamed while Reimu snarled, "Stop playing games with us, Nue! You promised not to do anything like this since the Myouren Temple was established!"

Youmu, terrified, stuttered, "Uh, who's Nue?"

"Don't screw with me!" Reimu retorted. "You've done a good job mimicking Youmu's appearance, but you don't have her personality right at all!"

Youmu, still frightened, murmured, "What are you talking aboutǃ? I'm still me! Youmu Konpaku! Let me go already!"

Reimu did as Youmu asked and sighed, "Well, it can't be a troublesome shapeshifter. This only leaves one other possibility. Yuyuko, Youmu, do you know of the Satori?"

Yuyuko said, "Mm hmm!"

Youmu answered, "Of course!"

Reimu continued, "Then I know what's wrong. A Satori is manipulating Youmu's subconscious."

Youmu was startled, "Wait, that's not possible! Satori youkai can read minds, but not influence them!"

Reimu said, "Usually, that's the case, but a couple of Incidents ago, I met a Satori that could influence the subconscious. She had this finicky ability to trick people's minds into thinking she wasn't there, and could even persuade people to do things they normally wouldn't! Of course, her ability has limits. I never said she could control someone completely. Whatever she influences someone to do something, it has to be within their personality, although she can control repressed personality traits. If that is the case, then begin searching the entire area. She may be invisible, but we could still snuff her out with danmaku. You may assist me if you wish." She then readied purifying needles in her hands.

* * *

"Listen, she figured it out! Let's just get out of here before she hurts us!"

"Don't be such a chicken! With her here, the fun's just begun!"

* * *

Reimu was flying frantically around in the mansion, hoping to bump into an invisible youkai. She then got her shoes on and flew outside. She fired off her needles in random directions. Yuyuko and Youmu came out. "Just look at how dazzling her shot patterns are!"

Youmu intoned, "Indeed. I would not expect anything less from the originator of the Spell Card system."

Yuyuko giggled, "Certainly! I now see why Yukari holds her to such high esteem."

As for Reimu, she paused and issued a challenge, "Koishi, I don't know how or why you're in the Netherworld, but I challenge you to a danmaku duel! Will you show yourself and accept, or will you decline, and keep hiding in the shadows like the coward you areǃ?"

Yuyuko mused, "And such vitality, too! How can one so seemingly shiftless one moment become so energetic the next?"

Youmu added, "Perhaps she saves her strength for when she really needs it. I shall keep that in mind."

Reimu floated to the ghostly pair, "Well, it seems my suspect is not showing herself. Tricky little pest."

Youmu assured, "If I may, I would like to assist you in finding this troublesome youkai, Reimu-san."

Reimu became confused, "Huh? You . . . you talked like yourself just now."

Youmu tilted her head, "Is there a problem?"

Reimu answered, "Well, yeah! Just a minute ago, you were acting like a girly girl! And a rather immature one, too!"

Youmu's tone became irritated, "What? 'Girly girl'? I don't know what you're talking about."

Reimu yelled, "Don't lie! Or . . . oh, I get it . . ."

Youmu cut in, "Are you implying that just because I'm female I'm somehow a dainty little frail thing that's more concerned with outward appearance and looking 'cute' than acting as Yuyuko-sama's assistant? Well I can assure you that not only are you wrong in your assertion, but I find it very ironic that you, a fellow female, would insinuate such a thing. Perhaps it is _you_ who is what Yukari-sama likes to call a 'Moe Blob.'

Yuyuko's face lit up, "Oh! That's how she pronounced it!"

Reimu ignored the two, still thinking, "It seems Yuyuko isn't affected, probably because all she thinks about is food and screwing with people's heads."

* * *

"She's so right! I can't control Yuyuko's subconscious at all! All I'm getting from her is 'I wonder what's for dinner tonight?'!"

"Yeah, and that's why we need to get out now! The Shrine Maiden girl isn't very stupid, and you know that! Let's get out of here now before we get punished!"

"Well, _you_ can run away if you want, but I still got a few tricks up my sleeve."

* * *

Youmu flew in front of Reimu. Her dark blue eyes were staring right through the red-and-white girl, "I do not appreciate your insults. I . . ." Her facial features softened, "I just want us to stay friends, Rei-chan!"

Reimu's tone matched Youmu's, "I know! I really wanted to drink tea and have small talk with you and Yuyuko today! We can't let something like this get between us!"

Youmu proclaimed, "I agree! And that's why I'll lend my help!" She drew her sword and started swinging it wildly, generating numerous white danmaku shots that flew off in random directions.

"OOOWWWWWW!"

A girl appeared almost out of thin air, clutching herself in pain. She was wearing a black hat with a yellow ribbon going around it. Her hair was wavy and greenish-gray, and wasn't overly long. Her eyes were green, as was her skirt. Her shirt was orange and adored with blue diamond-like buttons down the center. There was what appeared to be a blue orb in front of her chest, and there were two purple cords coming out of it. The two formed a heart shape behind her and ended at her black shoes. Reimu boasted, "Ah ha! So it was you! Now it seems you've wondered into the netherworld; does your treachery know no bounds, troublesome youkaiǃ?"

The girl, who is obviously Koishi Komeiji, reacted, "Hey, where'd she go?"

Reimu queried, "She who?"

"There was someone else with . . . wait, you didn't just hear that."

Yuyuko smiled, "Oh my! Looks like we have a new guest! You're a cute little girl, aren't you?"

Koishi replied, "I suppose. I'm Koishi Komeiji, younger sister of Satori Komeiji. Yes, my sister has the same name as our youkai species. As for me, I like to roam around."

Reimu added, "I met her some time ago. She's not as bad as some other nuisance-makers I've encountered, but you gotta watch out for her ability."

Youmu bowed, "I am honored to meet you, Koishi-chan. I am Youmu Konpaku, servant to Yuyuko Saigyouji-sama, although I wish we could've met under better circumstances. It seems I made a fool of myself earlier today."

Koishi slyly asked, "My, whatever are you referring to?"

Youmu felt awkward, "I . . . I don't remember. Yuyuko-sama, do you remember?"

Yuyuko held up her index finger beneath her chin, "Let's see . . . someone was supposed to come over today, Ran I think, but Reimu showed up instead, as well as this new girl. Surprising, no?"

Reimu sighed, "You're still the same as ever."

Yuyuko stated, "Well now that we have another guest, why not invite them all in for a spell? How does that sound?"

Reimu said, "Sure."

Koishi murmured, "Fine by me."

Youmu said, "It is agreeable."

Yuyuko then added, "Then let's forget whatever strangeness we have just witnessed and come inside, where snacks and warmth awaits?"

Yuyuko lead her guests back into the mansion.


	10. Part 4 point 7

Utsuho Reiuji had appeared on the surface again. She was still in her raven form. She flew to a high altitude to get a better view of the surface, "Where on earth could the young madam be? And why today of all days? I was going to play Kagome Kagome with Orin and the others!" Up high, she could see many tiny fairies moving about, as well as a few humans. "I'm too high up to make out who's who. I better get lower." She flew down to a lower altitude. Now she could see the ground with more detail, and could make out the people that she saw. "Still no sign of Madam Koishi." She had been looking for some time, then decided to rest on a tree branch. From her vantage point, the tree was overlooking a lake. It was then that something caught her eye, "Oh _no._" She had spotted a fairy that she recognized. This fairy was wearing a blue dress over a white blouse. Her short hair and eyes were icy blue. She had six wings that resembled icicles. She had a blue ribbon in her hair, and she wore white socks. "Fairies come back to life, don't they? I utterly vaporized her, and yet, there she _is!_ This challenge will not go un-challenged!"

Utsuho flew away from the branch and changed into her human form. Now she was tall, and sporting long black hair that went down to her thighs. She was now wearing a short-sleeved white shirt with a green skirt on the bottom, and her green ribbon was enlarged for her humanoid head. On her right arm was what appeared to be a wooden cast over the arm, one with six metallic rods encircling the end of it. She wore a white cape with a star-like background on the inside, and her black wings always kept the cape lifted up. Her right foot was enclosed in gray congealed matter, and atoms orbited around her left ankle. Her shoes and socks were as black as her eyes and hair. And on top of that, a large red eye poked out through her upper torso and through her shirt. The blue fairy looked up and saw her, "Uh oh! It's the hell raven!"

Utsuho flew down to the ground level. "You again! You caused quite a bit of trouble! Just who do you think you are to intrude upon my affairs like thatǃ?"

The fairy regained her composure, "Who am I? _Who am Iǃ?_ I am the winner of the Last Great Fairy War! I am the invincible ice fairy who has beaten the likes of witches and shrine maidens, and you as well!"

Utsuho countered, "You lie! I defeated you during our fight, miss . . . what was your name again?"

"Cirno, and don't you forget it . . . miss . . ."

"Utsuho Reiuji, but my friends call me Okuu."

"Whatever! If it's a fight you want, I'll give you a fight!"

"Very well!" Utsuho demanded, "Last time, we fought with what the surface dwellers call melee rules. How about this time, we use only danmaku attacks?"

"Done!" Cirno complied, "It's not like you'll win this way either!"

"YOU DID NOT WIN THE LAST FIGHT!" Utsuho countered, "And I will prove that I am the stronger fighter!"

"Nuh _unh!_ I'm the strongest!"

"I am powered by the sun!"

"Fairies cower at my presence!"

"DIE!" Utsuho yelled as she fired a streaming yellow laser from her cast.

Cirno dodged the blast effortlessly. Utsuho followed that up by firing a string of small white danmaku. As the shots came toward Cirno, the ice fairy held her ground. Before the first of the bullets could hit her, she reached out with her hand and touched the bullet. The shot became encased in ice, and the shot behind it became frozen, and then the one after that, setting off a chain reaction until every bullet was frozen. Within seconds, the shots melted away. Utsuho reacted, "Ehǃ? Did you just . . ."

"You see nowǃ?" Cirno boasted, "It's useless! I now know how to freeze danmaku! I can rival the likes of humans now! What're you gonna do about it?"

Utsuho made a leer, "Well then in that case, maybe I'll just keep shooting until you can't keep up with your freezing!" She fired off large, sun-like danmaku at the fairy.

Cirno evaded the shots, remembering that her power is useless against fireball danmaku. In spite of this, she boasted while firing back, "It's pointless! I'm faster than you! I'm littler than you! And although I can't freeze fire, I can still beat you really badly!"

Utsuho laughed, "Ha! What an idiot! You just revealed your weakness!"

Cirno sniped, "Hey! The one who says 'idiot' is the idiot!"

Utsuho fired off more sun-like danmaku, then added, "Shut up! You said you can't freeze fire! Now I know _exactly_ how to beat you, you little twerp!" She made a face of angry determination, confident in her ability to rid herself of this pest.

Right before the shots could hit her, Cirno gestured her hands to conjure a spell card in front of her, "Freeze Sign: Perfect Freeze!" All of the shots, including the fireball danmaku, became frozen in place, as well as the raven-haired raven. Within seconds, the shots shattered, as well as the ice covering Utsuho, hurting her and causing her to fall to the earth. Cirno rested her hands behind her head, and gave off a cocky chuckle, "Ha! When it comes to danmaku duels, I am a tactical _genius!_" She then flew away, "With that nuisance out of the way, I can concentrate on more important things, like freezing frogs in place."

She flew over Misty Lake, her preferred hunting ground. Before she had a chance to freeze some amphibians, a high voice cried out, "Cirno! Cirno! Cirno! Cirno!"

The ice fairy turned around to see another fairy, one with long black hair, light brown eyes, and wearing a blue dress with white sleeves, a star pattern over the dress, and a blue ribbon on top of her head. Cirno addressed her, "Why'd you say my name four times? Are you trying to invoke death in me, Star?"

The other fairy, who was Star Sapphire, answered, "No, that's not it! It's been one disaster after another!"

Cirno said, "Well, I was about to do my frog freezing. You can tell me about it if you want, I'm all ears."

Star recomposed herself, "Okay, it all started a couple of days ago. Me, Sunny, and Luna wanted to do some more pranking, right? So we got this idea to scare that curse goddess girl on the foot of Youkai Mountain by shooting danmaku at her with us being invisible and unhearable. So we started going there, then all of a sudden, I bump into someone I didn't even see! We all panicked and flew away, but then someone was following me! I panicked again and try to shoot some bullets at my pursuer. All I got was the pursuer, a girl of some kind, saying, 'Oh! You wanna danmaku? Okay!' So she started shooting danmaku like crazy, then I was like, 'Stop! That's too much! I'm gonna die!' And she was, 'Okay! I win! Wanna do something else?' I said no, so I flew away again, but she followed me again! I was like, 'Stop following me!' But she was like, 'But I've never done anything like this with a fairy before. What do fairies do?' So I realized I couldn't shake her off, so I started talking, I learned her name was Koi-something, and that she was from the underground. We decided to pull a prank on the people of the Netherworld, 'cause she had never been to the Netherworld before, and I hadn't gone there for a long time, and she did this mind control thing on someone there, of course, she didn't call it 'mind control', she called it something else, and it was all fun and games, until a certain red-and-white girl showed up and threatened exorcism! She caught Koi-something, but I managed to escape. Now I just need to find Sunny and Luna, and everything should be alright."

Cirno, freezing frogs throughout this one-sided exchange of words, asked, "Wait, did you say that girl was from the underground?"

"Yes."

"Uh oh." Cirno said.

"Uh oh, what?" Star wondered.

"Before you showed up, I got into a duel with a Hell raven. I won, but said Hell raven is also from the underground! Do you know what this meansǃ? The underground has come to invade the surface!"

Star became flustered, "Oh no! You're right! This can't be a coincidence! We need to find Sunny and Luna right now!"

"Right now! Time is of the essence!"

And with that, Cirno and Star flew off in a random direction, hoping to be reunited with the other two lost fairies.


	11. Part 4 point 8

"And then Orin said, 'Hey, that's not toothpaste!'"

Reimu gave a big belly laugh. She and Koishi were leaving the netherworld and returning to the Hakurei Shrine. The red-and-white girl said in mid-flight, "People are funny like that, I know! Like this one time when Suika was staying over, I came home after visiting my family and buying groceries in the village, she was sitting on the steps, but what was weird was she looked like she was meditating. I never took her to be religious, but I didn't want to interrupt her, either, so I just unloaded like usual, but then, she starts talking, talking in what I would say in a very enlightened manner, and she says, 'Reimu, do you know what you want in life?' I ask a question of my own, 'where is this coming from?' She says, 'That is not important. What do you want more than anything else in life?' I then said, 'For you to stop acting weird and telling me just what's going on.' Of course, she broke out rolling on the ground laughing. There was no way someone like her was gonna maintain that facade . . ."

* * *

Youkai Mountain, home of the Kappa and the Tengu races, as well as numerous youkai. It would be like any other day in the area, were it not for two fairies that looked very lost. One of them had somewhat short strawberry-blonde hair with short pigtails, blue eyes, a red-and-white dress that is totally not a shrine maiden uniform, a hat that looks like a small crown, and has fairy wings on her back. The other fairy had somewhat short blonde hair with drill-like curls, red eyes, a white poofy hat, a white dress with black frills and black ribbons, as well as fairy wings of her own. The fairy with curls questioned, "How long have we been looking for Star?"

The other fairy replied, "Weeks . . . or maybe hours, I'm not sure. You have any clue where she went?"

This wasn't the first time Sunny Milk and Luna Child had been separated from Star. Whenever trouble arose, Star would be the first one to disappear. Upon hearing Sunny's question, Luna responded, "I know!" She pointed her index finger, "She went right there!"

And sure enough, Star had arrived, along with Cirno, only they both looked distraught. "Sunny! Luna! Thank goodness we found you!"

"Where have you been?"

"Hey Cirno!"

"There's trouble brewing!"

"Trouble? Does it have anything to do with why you've been gone?"

"Hold it! Hold it!" Cirno interrupted. "One at a time! Okay, let me go first." She explained her situation.

Star then explained her encounter with Koishi. She then said, "And also, get this; you know how sometimes, Suika, an oni from the underground, lives in the Hakurei Shrine, or in Heaven, or basically anywhere other than the underground? Well, it's because she's been acting as a scout."

"A scout?"

"Yes!" Cirno affirmed, "She's been scouting the surface for an invasion from the undergound, and now the invasion has begun! If the attack from that raven and Star's being whisked away by a satori are any indication, they've now deployed the shock troops! It's only a matter of time before they send in the main army!"

"Oh no!" Luna reacted.

"That was my first reaction!" Exclaimed Star. "So then Sunny, now that we've found you, what should we do?"

Sunny commanded, "Fly like crazy!"

Luna added, "If by that, you mean 'panic', then I'm down for that."

"Me too!"

"Same here!"

"Then it's agreed!" Sunny concluded, "We must scream whilst flying like crazy, and maybe then, it'll drive away the invaders. Now, on my mark!"

Sunny took off, with the other fairies following. They could be observed shouting, "AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE! AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

* * *

Utsuho regained consciousness. She was on the ground, and her had was in a daze. Her clothes weren't too badly tattered, but that ice fairy had caught her completely off guard. She had forgotten her purpose on the surface, and now had only one thing on her mind, "I demand a rematch!" She flew up somewhat high to get a view of her surroundings. She saw fairies, but not the one she was looking for. She moved around a bit, and then spotted the Mistress' sister, as well as the red-and-white shrine maiden. Suddenly, something in her memory clicked. "I have to bring her back, but, what's she doing with her, I wonder?" She flew to intercept the two.

Koishi spotted Utsuho first, "Oh look, it's one of my sister's pets."

Reimu spotted the raven, "Oh yeah, _her_."

Utsuho stated, "Mistress Satori wants you back at Chireiden. I have come to find you."

Koishi said, "I'll come back when I feel like it."

Utsuho complained, "No, you can't just come and go like you normally do; she wants you back _now_."

Reimu sneered, "You're lucky I'm not assuming you're acting like you did when I first met you."

Another flashback played back in Utsuho's mind, one of her getting soundly beaten by a shrine maiden she had never met back then. It made her feel uneasy. "Uh, right, well, come along, Koishi, or I just might have to force you back."

Koishi resigned, "Okay. Reimu, it was nice seeing you again, but it seems I have family matters to tend to." She turned around and flew with Utsuho, "Farewell."

"Bye." Reimu returned back to the shrine. After all of her activities today, she was ready to rest. She sat on the steps to catch her breath, as well as to contemplate. She couldn't contemplate for long, however, for screaming fairies came flying by.

"AAAAGGGGHHHHH! Reimu! There's going to be an attack! The underground is going to take over! What should we doǃ?"

Reimu calmly replied, "An attack? Is this another one of your pranks?"

"No! It's no prank!" Star claimed. "Cirno got attacked by an underground youkai earlier today, and I got kidnapped by a satori a few days ago, and-"

"Wait." Reimu interrupted, "This satori, was she wearing a black hat?"

"Yeah!"

"And Cirno, what kind of youkai attacked you?"

Cirno crossed her arms, "A bird youkai, of course, she was no match for me."

"I see." Reimu noted, "That bird youkai was looking for that satori to bring back to the underground. There's no invasion going on. What gave you all that idea?"

Sunny blushed, "Well, um, you know, Suika used to live here, and she was originally from the underground, so we thought she was acting as a scout, and that these new girls were shocktroopers sent to clear a path for the main army."

Reimu sighed, "Suika's not acting for anyone. She lived here because she got bored of living in the underground, or at least, that's what she told me, and also, if there really was an invasion, I would fight it off for you; there's no need to panic."

There was a pause. Then Luna said, "Hey wait; what if Reimu is acting on behalf of the underground? And she's just saying this to get us off-guard?"

Reimu raised her voice, "That's stupid! Why would I do thatǃ? It's my job to protect every region within the Boundary, not to destroy one in favor of another!" She then stood up and smiled, "Or would you like to continue this discussion during a danmaku duel?" She raised her gohei rod.

Sunny, Luna, and Star shrieked. "No! We're good! We'll be going now, ah ha ha!" The three of them fled.

Cirno remained. "I won't back down! Let's see what you got!"

Reimu looked puzzled, "What? Are you serious? You actually want to duel me?"

Cirno pointed her index finger at Reimu, "Of course! You challenged me, and I am not one to run away! Do your worst!"

Reimu sighed, "I'm too tired for a proper duel." She drew a spellcard, "Fantasy Heaven!"

Seven yin-yang orbs surrounded her and fired off countless o-fuda cards in every direction. The shots came too quickly for Cirno to freeze, and as such, she was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cards. "YEEEAAARRGH!" Once the spell card finished, Cirno was on the ground; her head in a daze.

Reimu told the fairy, "I'm very tired, and I desire quietude to relax. And stop imagining such silly scenarios in your head if you don't want to cause an incident."

Cirno whimpered, "Y-Yes, ma'am." She got up and flew back to Misty Lake.

Reimu prepared herself some tea.

* * *

The underground, home of many different species of youkai that, for one reason or another, prefer to live where sunlight is not a daily occurrence. Utsuho and Koishi had arrived at Chireiden. Upon entering, they were surrounded by many creatures that thought, "Welcome back, Mistress Koishi!" even though only Satori could hear those thoughts.

Speaking of Satori, she flew up to Utsuho and patted her head, "Good job, Utsuho." She noticed her injuries, "Oh, you must've had a rough time up there. You know where the ointments are, so feel free to use them."

Utsuho smiled, "Thanks, Mistress." She flew off.

Satori gently hugged her sister, "Welcome back, Koishi."

Koishi, oddly enough, did not hug back. "So why did you want me back, so much that you sent Okuu to look for me?"

Satori replied, "There's something that I want to ask you. Your third eye, you closed it. You never told me why you did. One day, you just shut off your third eye without considering the consequences nor consulting me about it. What I want to know is, why, Koishi? As my sister, I need to know."

Koishi calmly said, "Because I knew how the human-like youkai treated you; they avoided you because you could read their minds. I didn't want people to avoid me, so I shut my third eye closed. And also, I knew how much it bothered you to read the minds of some individuals, how knowing things they did not intend for you to know could drive you mad. I did not want that."

Satori countered, "But ever since then, you've almost completely lost the ability to express your inner emotions, and to empathize with anyone other than yourself. And that ability you have now, if people knew about it, they would fear you just as they would fear me."

Koishi said, "That's okay. I can live with that. I don't experience the same fear from people that you experience. Is that all you wanted to ask me?"

Satori replied, "Yes, but don't you want to stay? This is your home, and surely you must see into my subconscious how much I miss you."

Koishi noted, "That feeling of longing to see someone you love? Yeah, I see what you mean now. If you were willing to send Okuu just to find me, maybe I'll stay for a little while; it'll be a change of pace from what I've been doing lately."

Satori smiled, "Thank you, Koishi."

* * *

From the desk of Hatate Himekaidou, I wish to say thank you for reading this entire series! The last series of articles were prepared with assistance from Aya Shameimaru, although I did most of the work! The only reason I even allowed her to partake in writing this series with me in the first place was because I lost a duel to her. I swear, she should become like a professional danmaku duelist or something, she's that good! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, just send them to me!

[Author's note: I am completely out of ideas for this series. Also, I wish to concentrate on my other fanfics for the time being. As such, I am ending this series here for the time being. If I should come up with a really great idea in the future for this series, I will bring it back, but for now, consider A Touhou Fanfiction About Nothing to be finished.]


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